History
Padlocks were used thousands of years ago by the Egyptians and Babylonians and used extensively in China from 1000 BC. They became more dispersed through traveling merchants. A padlock used to be made of wood and later silver, brass and bronze. Today, among other things, steel has been added to this list.
A padlock is said to have been named between the 9th and 11th centuries when the invention was used to secure fenced-in fields. From 1800 onwards, padlocks became more commercially viable and were mass-produced. The security of the locks has been increasingly improved over time. They are usually locked by the clasp that clicks into an internal mechanism in the interior of the lock. They are often self-closing when the clasp is pushed closed, but sometimes a key is also required. Padlock images are used as a popular security symbol and are universally used on the Internet.