Does the Swiss Army use Swiss Army knives

Thanks to DOUBRIS� for this question.

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Q.� But I thought Swiss Army knives were multi-blade tools

A.� Yes, they are now and this trend began in 1889 with the introduction to the Swiss Army of a rifle that needed a screwdriver to take it apart and the multi-blade knife was born: a knife, a screwdriver, reamer and can opener were incorporated into the regulation knife.

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However the knives were initially made in Germany, with another manufacturer in Switzerland established later.

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Q.� Can Swiss Army Knives save lives

A.� Apparently so, according to the company that manufactures them. In 1997 someone using a Swiss Army knife in New Zealand freed a young boy from a submerged car.

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In another reported case the famous knife also came to the rescue when it was discovered that an aeroplanes first aid box was missing a scalpel after a doctor on board had decided to perform an emergency operation on a choking child. Fortunately another passenger produced a Swiss Army knife, with, among numerous blades, a scalpel attachment.

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Q.� Why don't all armies use the knife

A.� Increasingly they do, obviously suitably impressed by the Swiss Army's success in saving their country from invasion during two world wars, presumably with the help of their famous knife. The US Army and Navy started taking delivery of the knife in 1945.

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The Swiss Army Knife even belongs to the official equipment of the space shuttle crews.

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by Lisa Cardy