Pliers were first developed in Europe as an aide in their metal crafting works. Since Europe was amongst the active developers of technology, pliers were used to hold and clutch hot melted items used for household wares, weapons and furniture.
Through time the pliers have evolved to having different kinds and different functions. But since its beginnings the commercially available pliers currently did not vary that much from the very first ones. The same concept as that with the first one is still used. A bolt & nut is placed around a third from the tip of the pliers. The moment of arm principle is used to hold the object tighter while applying minimum force to the handles.
As technology continues to develop, more and more variety of pliers have been made to aide every possible need and want. Commonly, these aides are mainly used in machine shops, craft shops, and electrical related jobs. Now pliers have mechanisms that lock and grip the object in place.
The common types of pliers and their uses: