The paperclip and its myths

The paperclip is a loop of wire, bent twice. It costs almost nothing and almost every office has a box. Yet it has a surprisingly murky history.

Before the paperclip#

Before paperclips, people fastened papers with pins, ribbons and string, or sewed them together. Pins left holes and could scratch fingers, which made them unpopular for documents that had to be kept in good condition.

As offices grew in the nineteenth century, so did the amount of loose paper, and the demand for a better fastener.

Many patents#

During the late 1800s, several inventors in different countries patented wire clips for paper. Some of the designs were quite unlike what we use today. The familiar double-oval shape is usually called the Gem, and it was in use by the end of the century. Who first made it is not settled, and the story is more complicated than the one you may have heard.

A famous story#

A popular tale says the paperclip was a symbol of resistance in occupied Norway during the Second World War, worn on lapels to show unity. It is true that Norwegians wore paperclips as a quiet sign of solidarity at that time. But the Norwegians did not invent the paperclip, and the Gem was in use long before the war.

Another claim says a Norwegian named Johan Vaaler invented it in the 1890s. He did patent a clip in Germany, but it was not the design that became standard, and some historians dispute the claim.

Why the design lasted#

The Gem is simple and springy. It grips paper without damage, can be taken off and reused, and is easy to make from a single length of wire. There is little to improve on, which is why the shape barely changed in more than a century.

What it shows#

Everyday objects often come with legends attached. When a story is too neat, it is worth checking. The real history of the paperclip is untidy, with several inventors and slow improvements, which is how most inventions actually happen.