Which Came First: Screwdriver or Screw?
The claim that the screwdriver was first invented to pull nails and that the screw appeared a century later is not supported by the historical evidence. The earliest known depiction of a screwdriver appears in a late-15th-century German manuscript (about 1475–1490); the tool was for turning screws. Metal fastening screws are also known from the 15th century, including in armor and early firearms.
Some confusion may come from an armorer’s combination tool that included a screwdriver, hammer, wire cutter, and nail-pulling feature. The presence of a nail puller on a combination tool does not show that the screwdriver was invented to remove nails. A more accurate summary is that screws and early screwdrivers emerged around the same era, while widespread mass-produced fasteners became common much later.