Original designer of the paperclip Johan Vaaler was born in 1866, in Aurskog, Norway. He grew up to be a patent clerk and inventor, and in 1899, Vaaler patented a design for a paperclip. His design however, was unlike the clip we know and love. It didn't have the double loop, and constituted a loop of wire with 2 ends overlapping on a single side. This was not efficient at all, in fact it was almost unusable, but even worse, a much better design was already in production, just not available in Norway.
The Gem Manufacturing Company Ltd, based in the UK, had been manufacturing a style of paperclip that is the one that we're familiar with today. It really was a perfect piece of design, simple, cheap, functional, and completely suited to the purpose of holding together sheets of paper. It was called "the Gem" and it was unbeatable. And so it was when it reached Norway. It is not known for certain whether Vaaler actually saw a Gem paperclip, but it is highly likely because he never contacted any manufacturers, so implying that he knew the Gem was the better design, and following up his patent simply wasn't worth it. Vaaler passed away in 1910, certain to be forgotten.
Except he wasn't. So how did he become known as the inventor of the paperclip? Well it all has to do with a mistake by a patent engineer, and the occupation of Norway during the Second World War.
In the 1920s, a Norwegian patent engineer visited Germany with the intention of registering Norwegian patents there. He discovered Vaaler's patent, but somehow failed to realise that it was different to the Gem clip. He went on to write a report declaring that it was Vaaler who had invented the paperclip.
So on to WW2, with the Nazi occupation of Norway in full swing, when more obvious symbols of resistance were banned, the wearing of a paperclip on the lapel came to signify a patriot, to show solidarity. But quickly, this show of unity was banned too, and the wearing of a paperclip became a punishable offence.
After the war, it was through information published in Norwegian encyclopedias that the use of the paperclip by Norwegian partisans became widely known, and soon, the misinformation about Vaaler inventing the clip was included too. Both "invented" by a Norwegian, and a symbol of strength under a oppressor, well, the paperclip's status as a national symbol was inevitable, culminating with the erection in 1989 of a huge 7 meter high paperclip on a college campus near Oslo, ironically of the Gem design, commemorating Vaaler.
So that's how Vaaler, who neither invented the first paperclip, nor had anything to do with the Gem Manufacturing Company in the UK nor the Gem design, a man who had in fact designed an almost useless clip, became world famous as the inventor of the Gem style paperclip.
Office products come in many shapes and sizes and paperclips are a simple but necessary item in many businesses around the world. In this office equipment review Mark looks at the simple paperclip, its origin and purpose.
More information about paperclips and other office
stationary is available on the product sites Mark refers to in the review.
