Paper clip

Bent-wire clips first cropped up in American offices in the late 1860s. The first patent for a bent wire paper clip was awarded in the United States to Samuel B. Fay, in 1867. This clip was originally intended primarily for attaching tickets to fabric, although the patent recognized that it could be used to attach papers together.

The paper clip as we know it today was first made by the Gem Manufacturing Company in Britain around the 1870s and later introduced to the United States around 1899. It was never patented.

The simplicity of Gem paper clip made it an instant hit and is still produced by the billion (18bn a year in the US).

An 1894 advert for the clips read, "Don't mutilate your papers with pins or fasteners, but use the Gem Paper Clip."

The Swedish word for paperclip is "gem".

A Norwegian patent office manager, Johan Vaaler (1866–1910), has erroneously been identified as the inventor of the paper clip. However, Vaaler's paperclip came after the Gem paperclip was already popular throughout Europe. His design was less functional and practical, because it lacked the last turn of the wire. He was granted patents in the U.S on June 4, 1901 and Germany two days later. Vaaler probably succeeded in having his design patented abroad, despite the existence of a better product, because patent authorities at that time were quite liberal and rewarded any marginal modification of earlier inventions.

The paper clip patented by Vaaler in 1901.

Wearing paper clips was a symbol of rejecting Nazi ideals and racism during World War II.

The diameter of the wire in a standard paper clip is 1mm or about 0.04inches.

Todayifoundout.com, The Independent