The paperclip is a beautiful piece of stationary that can represent unity, harmony, and the genteel. In French they call it le trombone based on the object’s striking similarity in shape to that euphonious musical instrument that shares the same name. The paperclip we are most familiar with today is made of "looped" wire (as shown in the image above), and has been in use at least since the early 1870’s (most likely originating in Britain), and comes in a variety of colours and sizes depending on its user’s needs and desires. In history, the paperclip has proved to be a great binding force both literally and figuratively.
Figuratively, the paperclip has symbolized agreement and accord, particularly in the sense of a united commitment to a given cause. For instance, Norwegian patriots sported a paperclip on their lapels to show their joint resistance to Nazi occupation during WWII.
In a more literal sense, paperclips have provided invaluable aid as agents that can clasp documents together and keep them in order. In such a capacity, the paperclip has served very well in the development and preservation of some of the most powerful ideas (written, of course) the world has ever known. For example, had paperclips not existed at the time, the earliest drafts of Mein Kampf, the Treaty of Versailles, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms might not have ever reached the form we know them as today. Just imagine: 8 pages of Mein Kamf missing because “someone” forgot to paperclip them together just so a gust of wind could come along and carry them away! Who knows what impact, for good or bad, an event like that would have had on the course of history as we know it?
Considering that paperclips emerged in the heat of the industrial revolution, one can only wonder what other minute, and yet momentously significant contributions they might have made to the present world . Were paperclips responsible for keeping the first factory maintenance manuals together so that factory operators had a reliable set of printed instructions to work with as they strove to increase manufacturing and production? Assuming this is the case, if industry had not run so smoothly in its infancy, would we still have computers, cars, microwaves or many other manufactured conveniences we tend to take for granted? The implications of paperclips on our current society are unfathomable, and yet this unassuming piece of wire remains such a small and rather simple device, often overlooked in its grand importance.
Keeping to the softer side of paperclips, it’s important to note they have many advantages over other similar paper-binding devices, thus making them the tool of choice for anyone looking to keep a stack paper (up to 30 pages, give or take) affixed in some semblance of order. Conversely, staples and binding combs, glue and thread, all contribute to a messy situation: staples tear, binding combs are sloppy, glue and thread can peel and fray. A paperclip on the other hand slides on and off with little to no detection, and will rarely damage the paper. Paperclips are quick, clean, easy, simple, and by paper-compressing/holding standards, quite elegant as well. A versatile tool, paperclips can also be used to pick locks, serve as make-shift wires in electronics, for soldering, and, when craftily strung together, even as jewelery.
Yes, the value of a paperclip is immeasurable. Just consider for instance what this guy did with one.
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