A Trip Back in Time: Lanyard Neck Strap
Believe it or not, the first mention of lanyards was in 15th-century France. Back then, it was called the "lanière". It was a thong or strap-on apparatus and used to hang the sword around the waist of a soldier.
Later on, (in the French military), lanyards were used to hold a whistle, pistol, or sword. Lanyards were used both on land as well as at sea. The pistol lanyard developed in the UK can be easily removed and reattached by the user, but will stay connected to the pistol whether it is drawn or in a holster.
Interestingly lanyards are not just used for attaching to objects but colored and braided lanyards are used in the military (on the shoulders), to denote the wearer's qualification or regimental affiliation. For example, in horse regiments, lanyards were worn on the left, enabling a rider to pull a whistle from the left tunic pocket and maintain communication with his troop. Members of the British Royal Artillery wear a lanyard that originally held a key for adjusting the fuses of explosive shells.
In the 1960 to 1990s lanyards were widely used with small electronic devices such as CD and MP3 players, cameras, and USB flash drives.
Today, however, lanyards are used to display badges or ID cards for identification purposes where security is required. They are commonly found at conventions, businesses, prisons, corporations, hospitals, trade fairs, and at concerts in the entertainment industry. These modern-day lanyards have a plastic pouch or badge holder at the end. At least one clear side is attached to the lanyard with the person's name badge or ID card. Occasionally, small items like business cards, pens, or tools can be placed behind the badge for easy access.
Lanyards further evolved into key lanyards or wrist lanyards to which keychains, flashlights, etc. could be attached. Another important but lesser-mentioned evolution of lanyards was their use as a safety device. As a safety device, one end of the lanyard was attached to the wrist of the user, and the other end to a kill switch on some machine that the user was operating. So, if the user fell down, the lanyard would trigger the kill switch and the machine would switch off. This example is widely used on treadmills and jet skis and also on some pleasure boats.
These days lanyards have an important accessory known as the “breakaway” clip. These clips automatically detach from the lanyard when pulled. For example, if the lanyard neck strap gets caught in the lift door. The breakaway clip prevents injury to the user of the lanyard as it simply breaks off. It is highly recommended that all lanyards have the safety break as standard.
For the widest range and best deals, my company buys its lanyards from Lanyards Ireland which offers all types of materials such as woven and nylon. They are very well priced and have great customer support.
