PETER Corby, the man who invented the trouser press, has died at the age of 97.
The Corby Trouser Press was launched in the 1960s and was described as “a man’s best friend” in adverts.
Inventor Corby patented the revolutionary design, which included an electrical heating pad and went on to sell millions.
The household name later sold his business to Jourdan plc, which is now owned by Huddersfield firm Fired Up Corporation.
Today, tributes poured in for the designer, with one person writing on Twitter: “RIP Peter Corby. His trouser presses were like an old friend”.
Another described his product as a “fantastic British invention”.
Born in Leamington Spa in July 1924, Mr Corby joined the Royal Air Froce’s Volunteer Reserve in September 1943 and was mobilised in February 1944, according to the Telegraph.
After training as a flight engineer, he flew in the Halifax bomber as part of 78 Squadron in the final weeks of the war in Europe.
After the war, Mr Corby returned to the skies in 1948, flying in a Lincoln bomber.
Then, the inventor met a Concorde engineer who had discovered a way of preventing the famous supersonic airliner’s nose from freezing.
Mr Corby was inspired by the innovation to develop the heating element of the trouser press, transforming their effectiveness.
The businessman then began a leasing arrangement with hotels in the early 1970s before selling his firm.
He is survived by his second wife Gail Clifford-Marshall and their son, as well as two children from his first marriage.
Paying tribute on Twitter, others said Mr Corby was a ‘remarkable businessman’ who ‘managed to keep selling a product (mainly to hotels) despite the fact that most guests never used it’.
Another noted his passing by jokingly referencing the scene in Alan Partridge, saying ‘just don’t get bored and take one to bits’.
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Source: The Sun
