The Black and Decker was invented by Ron Hickman, a South African-born inventor who was a Lotus car designer in the 1960s. Hickman invented the workbench in 1961 when he was at home doing some DIY!

Whilst cutting a piece of wood he accidently cut through a dining chair which was being used to support his work. The accident inspired Hickman to invent a portable workbench, later known as the Workmate. However when Hickman approached Black and Decker to mass produce the portable workbench, Black and Decker turned down the workmate. Hickman believed in his workbench and carried on manufacturing the workmate for 4 years until Black and Decker finally decided to lincense the workbench as the Black and Decker workmate. Over 40 years later, the Black and Decker workmate can be found in millions of homes worldwide.