From the time man first had possessions, he has been looking for a means of protecting those possessions. It is known that the cave man built a fire to protect his cave entrance from animals who would steal his food. He would also place religious statues in the entrance to protect the cave while he was off hunting. The superstitious nature of the early cave man ensured that no one would risk invoking the wrath of the god the statue represented by entering the cave.

As man became more civilized, superstition was not enough to keep other men from entering his home while he was away. The door was invented and intricately tied knots were used much like a padlock to secure it. Legend has it that one such knot, (the Gordian Knot), survived until 333 BC when Alexander the Great loosed it with his sword. This inherent lack of physical security, which Alexander the Great demonstrated, probably led to the invention of the more substantial locks that are still used today.

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