History and Origin of the Crowbar

Unfortunately, the crowbar is another one of those tools like the hammer and the screwdriver whose origins are lost to history. It’s impossible to say who was the first person to invent one, but the crowbar was in the public consciousness prior to the early 1400s where they were referred to as crows or iron crows. Later there was a reference to one in Romeo and Juliet. The name crow was reportedly applied because the crow bar was seen to be as useful as a crow’s beak for prying things open or resembled crow’s feet. They’re known by other names like jimmy, jemmie, pry bar and several others. Whatever their exact origin, in all probability the first crowbar was probably made by a creative blacksmith modifying a lever for a customer.

The lever is said to date back to the Stone Age, but the mathematics behind it were laid out by Archimedes who is famous for his quote about moving the world. “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” It was probably fairly obvious early in humanity’s metal working days that a metal lever would be a good idea given that it would make for a strong lever. One wonders if the original crowbar sprung into being after some carpenter asked a blacksmith to give him an iron lever that he could use as a lever on one side and the other side to pull nails out with. Its versatility in doing that and other jobs has made it an invaluable tool for hundreds of years and it won’t be going anywhere any time soon.

Wherever it came from, a number of modifications have been made to it and there’s a crowbar for just about any job and there’s crowbars made in different shapes and out of different materials. The most popular materials to make crowbars today are titanium and carbon steel due to the durability of these materials and the fact that they won’t rust, thus ensuring easy maintenance. In the past most crowbars were made of iron, though it wouldn’t be of much benefit to use one these days. Lastly, some crowbars are said to be made of lead, though the only conceivable use for this would be that they would be extremely easy to bend due to lead’s softness making it a great prop for strongman shows. In addition to different materials, different shapes also affect the strength of the tool. The I-Beam crowbar is said to be most resistant to bending, but they also come in cylindrical, oval and hexagonal (probably one of the more popular shapes).

The crowbar’s diversity also extends to the shape of the head, because each shape is best suited for specific tasks. The most common crowbar is known as a goose neck for obvious reasons. This is the one with the hooked end and that end has a split to aid with nail pulling. This would the one seen in pop culture in places like Half Life and Home Alone. The chisel head crowbar can have one or two ends and is used as a lever for nailed boards. The claw bar is good for pulling nails that are flush, the pinch point is a wrecking crowbar and are used in emergency services because they can withstand a lot of weight when used as a lever. The rolling head crowbar is at a 90 degree angle designed for more leverage when prying something apart. The straight bar is helpful for lining up objects while nailing in and can double as a hammer. Lastly, the trim puller is used to get in under the thin area on the trim of houses to pry that off. There’s a lot of variety there and even though each is designed for a specific job, they can obviously be adapted to use for many different tasks, just try to make sure you use them as intended whenever it makes sense.

While the crowbar’s origins are lost in the mists of history, its invention can be inferred from the lever and given how it’s been adapted to many other jobs, there’s no doubt that the crowbar has changed as often as needed. The crowbar has definitely earned its place in everyone’s toolbox.