The very first valves as we know them were conceived between the 19th and early 20th centuries, and James Robertson was the first to file a patent for a valve in the U.S. in 1840.
The first part of the 20th century was a period of significant industrial growth: valves were mass-produced, but there was no interchangeability between manufacturers’ products.
To address this issue, along came the Committee of Manufacturers on Standardization of Pipe Fittings and Valves (now the Manufacturers Standardization Society).