VICTORINOX, Victorinox, a Swiss brand, was founded in 1884. Establishment, development, establishment On January 1, 1884, Carl. Mr. Karl Elsener opened his tool workshop in the town of Ibach in the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. Development 1890 Carl. Mr. Elsener began the work of establishing the Swiss Master Knifemakers Association. His purpose was to unite all Swiss knifemakers to complete the work that individual craftsmen could not complete - to produce "pocket" knives for the Swiss military. 1891 1891 Carl. Elsener won an army contract through the Swiss Master Knifemakers Association and made the first "Original Swiss Army Knife" in the same year. 1897 1897 Elsener would register the designs for the Officers’ Knife and Sports Knife, which would bring him fortune. 1909 1909 Switzerland *** allows Elsener to stamp all its knives with the Swiss mark, a cross and shield embedded in a red fiber handle. In the same year, his mother died. In memory of her, Elsener used her mother's name - Victoria - as a trademark for her products. 1918 1918 Carl. Elsener, the founder of Victorinox, passed away at the age of 58. He left the prosperous and growing factory to his two sons. 1921 1921 As the technology for producing stainless steel became increasingly mature, Victorinox began to use this new material to produce knives. The French word Inoxydable (meaning rust-free) was added to the company's trademark, which was later abbreviated to Inoxyd, and finally the company's name. Combined to form VICTORINOX. 1945 1945 Between 1945 and 1949, a large number of military knives were sold to the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force through the U.S. Military Academy store. The Swiss Army Knife has since become world-famous. American officers and soldiers refer to Swiss officer's knives simply as "Swiss Army Knife". Today the name has become synonymous with multi-purpose "pocket" knives.