In 1891, Karl Elsener of Ibach, Switzerland created the "Soldier's Knife" for the Swiss military. At the turn of the century, Elsener adopted the Swiss Army's legendary symbol, the cross and shield as his trademarks and named his company after his mother, Victoria. Thus, the company came to be known as Victorinox.
During World War II, the Officer's knife became hugely popular with American GI's, but since they had trouble pronouncing "Offizermesser", they simply referred to the knives as Swiss Army Knives. The Officer's model was made in 100 combinations maintaining the highest standards of quality. Victorinox Swiss Army knives can be found in the NYC Museum of Modern Art and on NASA space shuttle missions.
