The Mystery Of Paperclips

As an innovation, the modern paperclip has a peculiar history.
HISTORY OF PAPER
Paper was first created in China during the first century A. Initially made from cotton and linen, these fabric papers were expensive to produce and were generally reserved for permanent writing. Because of paper’s value, more trivial, temporary writing was done on reusable, clay or wax tablets. By the 19th century, the industrial revolution brought about the invention of wood pulping and industrial paper mills, making paper production inexpensive and widely available.
FIRST PAPER CLIPS
By dividing the processes of drawing, straightening, forming, and cutting iron into over a dozen individual tasks, each done by a dedicated laborer, pin production became over 1000 times more efficient. Where a single man could barely create 30 pins in a day, this early use of the assembly lines would easily yield production rates of over 30,000 pins.
WIRE TO CLIPS
Advancements in both metallurgy and mechanization would finally bring about the marvel of modern paper holding technology, the paperclip. The key to this shift from the pins to clips occurred during the 1850s with the introduction of low cost, industrially produced steel. During the last few decades of the 19th century, thousands of patents were issued for almost every shape of formed steel wire that could be conceivably used as a commercial product.
THE FIRST PAPER CLIPS
Among these early steel, wire-based products were the first paper clips. The earliest known patent for a paper clip was awarded in the United States to Samuel B. Some of these designs, such as the bow-shaped Ideal paper clip and the two-eyed Owl clip, can still be found in use today. Many were created to address specific challenges of managing paperwork.
GEM PAPER CLIPS
Among them, the "Gem Manufacturing Company'' had arisen as the namesake behind this design with a reference appearing in an 1883 article, touting the benefits of the "Gem Paper-Fastener". However, no illustrations existed of these early "Gem paper-clips" making it unclear if they truly did invent the modern Gem paperclip. Interestingly, aside from Cushman and Denison’s branding claim, even 30 years after its first appearance, the Gem-style paper clip still remained unpatented. Even stranger, in 1899 a patent was granted to William Middlebrook of Waterbury, Connecticut for a "Machine for making wire paper clips." Within the pages of his patent filing was a drawing clearly showing that the product produced was a Gem-style paperclip.
OTHER CLAIMS
There have been several other unsubstantiated claims to the invention of the modern paperclip. His paper-binding invention was illustrated within his book, though it looked more like a modern cotter pin than a contemporary gem-style paper clip. In 1901, Vaaler was liberally granted patents both in Germany and in the United States, for a paper clip of similar design, though it lacked the final bend found in gem-paper clips. Vaaler would go on to become a national myth posthumously, based on the false assumption that the paper clip was invented by an unrecognized Norwegian prodigy.
The gem-style paper clip would remain mostly unchanged over the next 120 years. It would even become a symbol throughout the century. The paperclip would even be commemorated on the nation’s stamp in 1999. Many manufacturers have even attempted to improve on the design by added ripples for a better grip.
Still, the simple steel wire gem-style paper clip remains a staple of basic office supply needs even today. It’s ease of use, effectiveness at gripping and storing papers without tangling or damaging them have made it one of the few inventions in human history that has proven to be difficult to improve upon.
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[@ronvanwegen]

LOL! The paperclip has become a staple...!!!

[@Alex-cn9uj]

Bu-dum-tsss

[@workhardism]

I see what you did there. 👍

[@josephmalfino7735]

You win lol!

[@Hchris101]

Go to jail for this crime

[@-fuk57]

You slay, sir!

[@FredMiller]

Very well done. In one of my technical writing classes our assignment was to explain how a gem style paper clip looked and how it functioned with no illustrations allowed. It was quite the challenge...

[@thedeadcannotdie]

At this point I'm convinced the gem paperclip is actually an eldrich entity who came to earth to help out clerks and anyone who has tried to patent it has met with a fate too horrifying to comprehend

[@swissboy362]

this man could narrate the evolution of a door and id still listen for an hour

[@andersjjensen]

Aye. He is the KZbin version of Morgan Freeman!

[@NewMind]

Don’t give me ideas

[@MrV1T]

@@NewMind Honestly - I'd love to learn about doors evolution... I can imagine history of simple door as mechanism should be quite fascinating ;).

[@tbyrne11389]

@@NewMind one of my favorite episodes of modern marvels was about "the shovel" please elaborate on "the door"

[@iwanttwoscoops]

the podcast 99% invisible has an incredibly interesting episode on "revolving doors." They talk about everything from how different door set ups affect air conditioning efficiency to how to create universal symbols for human communication

[@futurestein9905]

Quarantine got me watching the whole internet

[@raybin6873]

How far you gotten? I think I've seen about 0.0000000000021% of it so far LoL! 😎

[@jamesbizs]

LOL don’t even pretend you didn’t do this before

[@jamesbizs]

@@raybin6873 lol you didn’t even get close to that actually. 300 hours of video is posted to KZbin EVERY MINUTE . That’s just KZbin. That’s 400,000 hours every day. That’s 50 years worth of video, 24/7, for every single day

[@pleaseenteranamelol711]

Dont forget that 40% of the internets average traffic is just porn.

[@119beaker]

I've run out of internet.

[@JefffRushton]

@ 8:35 So you mention the paper clip is a ''staple' of basic office supply needs even today''. Can we expect a staple video next!?

[@NewMind]

Hahaha I swear I didn’t do that on purpose

[@WitoldWitkowski]

Caught that too.

[@BUBBLETEABOY]

@@NewMind please do a stables video lol

[@myothersoul1953]

Interesting .... I expected the guy at the end of the video to use a paperclip to adjust the center of mass on his paper airplane like a pro would : )

[@zacknicley8150]

I can’t believe I watched the whole thing.

[@JOSEPH-vs2gc]

All nine minutes!? aww. thata guud boy.. that a guud boy..

[@JamesMerrill]

So you put a pin in it?

[@edvfya9922]

Ha, why not? Its interesting. Just because something is educational in nature doesn't mean it has to be boring!

[@zacknicley8150]

I don’t have a short attention span. I’m not saying I have a problem with educational media. I love informative videos. I was surprised there was that much to say about something as simple as paper clips.

[@edvfya9922]

@@zacknicley8150 I misunderstood, my apologies.

[@SFKelvin]

There are two types of people in an office: 1) Net recipients of paperclips and 2) Net distributors of paperclips.

[@Cherb123456]

🤣

[@raybin6873]

I use them to poke into tiny hole on my desktop's DVD drive door to open it (it quit opening by itself)😁

[@shimeih2287]

Mind totally blown. 🤯. Never thought something so small could have such an interesting history.

[@jan-peterschuring88]

I’ll never take a paper clip for granted again.

[@JefffRushton]

comment F to pay respects to Clippy, our first sentient paper clip. RIP IN PEACE BRUH

[@michaelesposito2629]

Jeff Rushton Rest In Peace in peace? What?

[@johngreco7171]

F GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

[@radekoplustil6750]

Jeff is right, let Clippy rest in RIP.

[@JefffRushton]

This guy gets it ^^^

[@jamesbizs]

Evi1M4chine not really. No.

[@jonbush8950]

This is exactly the kind of content I am here to devour. Thank you! Well done.

[@andersjjensen]

You're like Morgan Freeman in the sense that you can talk about anything and make it sound interesting by intonation and pacing alone. I happen to be a total sucker for that! :D Perhaps the history of shoe soles could be interesting? Or how about cathode ray tubes? Or maybe lubricants? Optical lenses could most certainly also be a thing! And what about leather tanning? Also, why was the name-scheme on plant classification changed so crusifea became brassica (etc etc)? I wonder if the history and application of diving and diving equipment could be interesting?

[@michaelrichardson3834]

There's a really good browser game, which you have to be a bit patient with, called 'universal paper clips'. Would highly recommend if you have 6 hours spare which I suppose quarantine would allow for.

[@realhealthquotesllc2195]

Such a simple tool and so universally used. Very interesting.

[@tobbleboii5988]

who knew that paperclips could be that interesting? great video as always!

[@roBLINDhood]

Your videos are so good!

[@Cherb123456]

Very interesting video! Thank you!

[@tobyrabbit7948]

I remember New Mind when he was just an itty bitty little New Born channel and subscribing after watching my 1st video. So glad to see he is growing up and continuing to make amazing videos. Such a great channel!

[@NewMind]

😂 thanks for that support early on!

[@PATRIK67KALLBACK]

I loved this video clip of paper clips! Fun fact, in Sweden we don't have any related word for paper clip, we just call them gem. So this is the first time I heard the story where the word came from.

[@kymion]

Best video on the history of paper clips I've seen today.

[@deandabbles]

"A Designer has achieved perfection not when there's nothing left to add, but when there's nothing left to remove." - Antoine De Saint-Exupéry

[@justindunlap1235]

That is an amazingly true quote. Thanks for sharing.

[@TrialzGTAS]

Thank you Recommended with showing me this channel. Binging like hell

[@circusitch]

Still useable even in our “paperless”‘society.

[@shmookins]

The paperclip has a much more fascinating life story than I.

[@pling5320]

This video answered so many questions i never had

[@themirac5614]

it is 1 at night here, was searching paperclips the video was uploaded 3 hrs ago. nice

[@LukeA_55]

It's crazy what your mind gets interested in late at night 😂 currently half past 2am

[@andysmith7731]

Good video. .. Thank You

[@dexterdextrow7248]

Fun, easy and still interesting little story, thanks.

[@ZipperOfficial]

I like the Gem paper clips that have the little rough edges for grip. They really do make a difference

[@herrpez]

Then maybe it will also tickle you to know that in Sweden, a paperclip is called a "gem" (though with a hard g, and different vowel shape).

[@flyingcrowbar1599]

1:54 “Tenet”. PS love your channel!

[@plapbandit]

It looks like you're writing an essay. Would you like help? • Get help with writing the essay • Just type the essay without help ☐ Don't show me this tip again

[@jamesmonschke747]

That is the "real" origin story of the paper-clip.📎 It happened at Microsoft. Some developers were developing an assistant that was a "stick-man". They went to show it to Bill Gates. He said change this, and this, and this, and that too... By the time Bill Gates was through with it, the stick-man had its head so far up its ass it became a paper-clip ❗️

[@jimurrata6785]

Ahhhhhhhh! 😵 Just being reminded of that is enough to make me rage.

[@uniktbrukernavn]

Every child in Norway is being told from birth that "we invented the paperclip". Norwegians don't have much to their name except for nature, which we did not invent, so this video shatters everything :)

[@rolffredheim8433]

Don’t forget the Vikings. lol 😆

[@dennisvanmierlo]

Your videos are super! But seeing Clippy again after so many years gives me nightmares. What a way to annoy users 😖 Lot’s of greetings, Dennis 🇳🇱

[@catnium]

yeah Saturday morning hang over coffee time now lets watch some ...something about paperclips 👀 ok youtube recommended ill go on this journey

[@upstagedbyadog]

My dad was still using pins in paperwork in the 1970s!

[@DevLSpark]

"Remains a staple of the office supply industry"

[@ilikaplayhopscotch]

8:35 Flawless creases there

[@ilikaplayhopscotch]

Evi1M4chine it was sarcasm, while I haven’t done it in years I did enjoy origami growing up.

[@headstomper0]

I see a New Mind video, I click. I am suddenly very interested in paper clips.

[@TechGorilla1987]

Few people will be old enough to actually know that "Do not fold, spindle or mutilate" was a real thing...

[@justindunlap1235]

That label at 2:21 is truly a prime example of national pride.

[@KLondike5]

0:59 It sounded like you said "wildly available" though I hope you know it's "widely available." But I have no idea how excited they were or if they had paper raves.

[@mfaizsyahmi]

Clippy is the pinnacle of paperclip evolution.

[@adampindell]

I didn't know I wanted to know about paper clips

[@alexlandherr]

Please cite your sources in the video description!

[@thebeardyyc]

I can’t believe I watched a 10 minute video about paper clips and enjoyed it, 12 year old me would be so disappointed.

[@krabkit]

great...now i have to play the game again

[@TurtleMarcus]

It is difficult to overstate the cultural impact of the paperclip in Norway. During World War 2, wearing a paperclip on your shirt or coat became a symbol of resistance. Apparently it began when some students chose the paperclip as an everyday symbol for unity and "standing together" against the German occupation. The Quisling Government even officially discouraged the practice, because they feared it would instill in people a spirit of resistance. The myth that the paperclip is a Norwegian invention appeared after the war, perhaps in a nationalistic fervour to claim the paperclip as a special Norwegian symbol. We even know that certain authors and journalists familiar with Vaaler's actual design, intentionally kept quiet and still promoted Vaaler as the inventor of the Gem-style paperclip. This goes deep. Interestingly, the Norwegian word for paperclip is "binders". The exact origin of the word is unknown, but we are virtually certain that is borrowed from English. As for France during the war, wearing a paperclip might have originated as a pun. When in use, the tongue of the clip sort of looks like two prongs or two "poles". In French, "two poles" is "deux gaules", which sounds like "de Gaulle", i.e. Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French Forces.

[@marklee81]

Tape has a surprising history too.

[@david_pilling]

Also called "court martial clips" for their ability to bind documents together and "trombone" in French. Has the origin question not been settled by finding old paper clips in old piles of paper - there are archives.

[@icreatedanaccountforthis1852]

The enigma of the paper clip

[@plurakok]

In swedish all paperclips are called "gem" but with a hard G. I had no idea the name was a company!

[@thytom8534]

I really do be watching a video about paperclips rn

[@LeoStaley]

Mentions effective attempts to improve upon the design, then says it has been difficult to improve on. Lol But seriously, great vid.

[@benmacfadyen1]

Did you say "wildly available"? Its WIDELY available, mate!

[@randalalansmith9883]

I guess the stock photo library didn't have an example of paper being bound by iron pins.

[@TiagoTiagoT]

I had assumed the design with the flat bottom and triangular tip was the original/most popular design...

[@trinidad17]

I enjoyed the video but "clerks" and some level of bureaucracy have existed for most of history, that is very clear in some cultures that don't have a full fledged writing system but do have numbers which their accountants, merchants and tax collectors used. Sure engraving your invoices into clay tablets as they did in ancient Babylon is not as efficient as paper and typewriters and that limited their use but the late spread of that in the previous centuries doesn't mean those types of professions only existed since that time, but that the technology allowed for more bureaucracy and paper work and I'm sure we all love that.

[@darwinwins]

it's 8:20 in the morning, i'm sitting in my office and clicked on a video on paper clips ... what even am i?

[@DavidKennyNZL]

I don't think you can patent an item after it has been sold. That's why companies lease items they may later patent.

[@Ucceah]

the vaaler design has an awesome feature, you can lock it! see 7:14

[@funkysagancat3295]

What about the the ones with a flat base in one end and a point one in the other?

[@jimurrata6785]

Thumbtacks?

[@fr3zer677]

Are you challenging yourself or did you lose a bet? I'm just curious what let you to make a quality video on this odd topic.

[@NewMind]

A little of both combined with a little stir crazy from the quarantine.

[@almostanengineer]

Personally, I’d put it down to Middlebrook, given that his machine design is still used to make paper clips this day. 😅

[@Obliteratu]

Ten minutes on paperclips? Sold!

[@vadkram463]

Despite this, I never seem to be able to find one when I need one.

[@jpaulc441]

2:22 Where were these pins manufactured? The packaging didn't make it clear enough...

[@noegodinez1777]

You create the ship, you create the shipwreck. You create the paper, you create the paperclip

[@rccrazer]

Would you do a video on the Staple? You saying that the "paper clip has become a staple" made me realize that staple and the stapler are probably in the same boat if under appreciated modern marvel's, to the point where saying something is a staple is a common phrase.

[@jimurrata6785]

The staple's origin for binding magazines and pamphlets exploded with the advent of modern offset printing. Bostitch (Boston stitcher company) is generally regarded as the one that popularized the staple. Though Duo-fast, Swingline, Arrow and others all have their own staple niche here in the US.

[@Gadgit83]

Out of interest, where do you get your footage from? I assume a lot of it is stock footage?

[@NoorquackerInd]

7:58 that's a freaking second-generation Lexus RX

[@phs125]

26 years and I've never used a single paperclip...

[@GregorShapiro]

In Swedish a paperclip is a "gem" (pronounced somewhat like the English "game" but with a shorter vowel).

[@axa.axa.]

Do thumbtacks next

[@Arnie10101]

There is, apparently, a slight tendency for a loose sheet of paper in a briefcase to weasel under a Gem-style paper clip and unintentionally become part of a document. Unfortunate, then, if that single loose sheet marked ‘Secret’ attaches itself to a Press Briefing! A Ministry of Defence guy I knew used to call them ‘career terminators’

[@CharlesMontmeny]

Sound like the history segment in How its made

[@Retromangofizz]

I like the bone shaped ones...

[@cypressbartlett9083]

This was a long prologue to the story of trading a paperclip for a house

[@Robert-nz2qw]

In Swedish a paper clip is called a gem.

[@rainersnookh]

Fun fact: a paperclip is actually called ”gem” in swedish, I can’t even remember ever hearing another name for it.

[@Fjalll]

Taken from the American brand name "Gem paperclips"

[@zaptowee6625]

My secret society shall wear paperclips.

[@andrewholdaway813]

Widely available, not wildly.

[@c.y.hollander5592]

"Its ease of use, effectiveness at gripping and storing papers without tangling or damaging them": Without tangling *the papers*?! What alternate method of binding papers together would do that? For that matter, I wouldn't call what paper-clips do "storing papers". I wonder whether you were confused when you wrote that line, because would make a lot more sense to me if you said, "its effectiveness at gripping papers without damaging them and its ability to be easily stored en masse without tangling." It's easy to imagine more complicated, three-dimensional designs of clip having the downside of tangling when several are tossed in a drawer or box for storage.

[@Dr.Kraig_Ren]

I haven't used it ever. Weird.

[@aelolul]

The start of this video sounds like an SCP entry.

[@Phillipssmith]

Check out the book “history of useful things” it includes the origins of items like the the fork, paper clip, zipper, etc

[@andyZ3500s]

I found a book "The Evolution of Useful Things"

[@Phillipssmith]

Ya, maybe that was the title I was thinking of

[@PANZER7910]

No one patented wheel! I want to patent it myself!

[@flamencoprof]

01:30 A missed opportunity to explain the origin of the term "red tape" for bureaucratic paper-shuffling. As late as the 80s my lawyer would produce folders of papers like that, tied up with actual red cloth tape. I bet you had to learn exactly how to tie it with a particular knot.

[@NewMind]

That blew my mind.

[@slavicprogrammer6100]

We should make an AI to make more of these!

[@TheAntiGravityMaster]

I really like this video a lot but the entire time I couldn't get it out of my head that this sounds like the kind of thing that would show up in a cartoon as the epitome of a boring informational video. like the history of sand or the importance of zinc or something

[@mumiemonstret]

I didn't know that "gem" was a genericized trademark. In Swedish, it's the only available word for "paper clip". But we pronounce it in a way that you would never recognize!

[@Dragonmastur24]

is it pronounced /ˈpāpər klip/ ?

[@mumiemonstret]

@@Dragonmastur24 More like [ɡe:m], like in "gear".

[@drnumlock]

Many of the Gem paperclips you get today are almost useless as paperclips due to the thin and inferior wire used. Cost savings I presume. My advice is to take good care of old and sturdy paperclips. Do not throw them away. By the way, the paperclip was also used as a kind of lapel pin in Norway during WWII as a symbol of unity against the occupation. It was subsequently forbidden, together with a whole lot of other tokens and worn items.

[@burrito-town]

You sure find some odd stock video footage.

[@maddmarkk1]

You know guys are getting bored in quarantine when they're making mini Documentaries on paper clips and I’m watching them

[@Tangobaldy]

Widley or wildley

[@Hoxgene]

oh clippy!

[@speedy-cc]

And yet i have never used a paper clip...

[@carlgreen4222]

Regarding Clippy, I think you meant "anthropomorphic infamy".

[@DaMaster1983]

Hi, Good video.. but.. where is the stapler history video ? its much more important than that. paper clips arent as useful as staplers