Ah, the little paper clip! That little trombone-shaped piece of metal is so ubiquitous that we don’t really think about it until we need one. It’s almost sad to think what will happen if we were all to go truly paperless. Until that day, we can take time out and celebrate this simple invention. And today is the perfect day because May 29 is National Paper Clip Day.
Invention of paper clip
Samuel B. Fay is the holder of the first patent for the paper clip. Fay’s application was granted, and U.S. Patent No. 64,088 was issued on April 23, 1867. According to the patent, the “loop of wire” he created was designed to hold tags or tickets to fabrics so that there would be less damage done to the fabric. It wasn’t until the late 1890s that the clip using the “Fay design” became widely used and advertised. In 1877, Erlman J. Wright received a patent for a clip that was specially designed for fastening leaves of paper together. His design more closely resembled the paper clips we see today than the original “Fay design.” It was in 1892, however, when the “Gem” paper clip emerged. Although never patented, the Gem paper clip is the one most widely used today. For more on the history of the paper clip and some illustrations of early clip designs, check out the Early Office Museum.
Other uses for paper clips
Of course, we all know that paper clips can be used for more than just fastening papers together. MacGyver, anyone? A search of the Internet yields loads of results, but here are some of our favorites: cell phone stand, replacement for broken zipper tab, substitute for food bag ties or chip clips, emergency hair clip, compass, jewelry clasp, holder of a fallen skirt hem, and eyeglasses repair tool. Many websites mention using paper clips as bookmarks, but as librarians, we just don’t like the indentations that the paper clips leave on the pages, even though the embellishments added to the clips are adorable.
Legal cases involving paper clips
And yes, paper clips even sometimes take a starring or supporting role in litigation. Unfortunately, most cases involving paper clips are criminal in nature, demonstrating that the paper clip is indeed a useful tool, perhaps too useful, especially in those instances where it is not being used for its intended purpose. For your reading pleasure, we have compiled a brief list of cases in which the paper clip sometimes played an all-too prominent role:
People v. Gratsch, 831 N.W. 2d 462 (2013) - Defendant, who was convicted of possessing a weapon in jail, said weapon being a sharpened paper clip fragment attached to the end of a cotton swab, was granted an evidentiary hearing on his claim of prosecutorial misconduct. One of his arguments was that the Michigan statute prohibiting the possession of weapons in jail was unconstitutionally vague. The appellate court disagreed.
Johnson v. Curtin, Opinion of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division, issued January 25, 2010, (No. 1:06 - CV-778) - Petitioner was kept in restraints during his jury trial because of his prior behavior of attacking and threatening jail staff, jamming a piece of paper clip into his handcuffs with the intention of unlocking them, and yelling and beating on the door of his cell, among other things. The court overruled petitioner’s objections and dismissed his § 2254 habeas petition for lack of merit.
McQuiggan v. Boy Scouts of America, 705, 536 A 2d 137 (Md. 1988) - The court affirmed a judgment holding that a twelve-year boy could not recover for an eye injury that he sustained when he voluntarily participated in a game involving the shooting of paper clips from rubber bands.
State v. Herrick, 567 N.W. 2d 336 (ND 1997) - During a search of some garbage cans at the back of defendant’s property, an officer from the North Dakota Police Department’s Drug Task Force discovered a paper clip with residue on it, a seed, and a stem. Defendant was convicted following a conditional plea of guilty to possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Defendant appealed. The conviction and the order denying a motion to suppress were reversed and the matter was remanded for further proceedings.
The Famous (or Rather Infamous) Paper Clip
Microsoft’s Clippit, the default Office Assistant used in Microsoft Office
For those of you old enough to remember, perhaps, the most famous paper clip was Clippit (or Clippy, as he was more commonly known). Clippy was Microsoft’s animated office assistant that was always ready to jump in and help you with any task, even when you didn’t want or need him to. Unfortunately for Microsoft, Clippy was extremely unpopular among users. Although he was trying to be helpful, his enthusiasm was sometimes a bit misplaced and annoying more often than not. Plus, many women felt that Clippy, with his bushy brows and expressive eyes, was leering at them. Sadly, Clippy met his demise in 2007. Clippy made a brief appearance last year in the form of animated stickers for Microsoft’s Teams chat platform, but his resurrection just didn’t stick; he disappeared a day later. For all of his faults, though, Clippy heralded a new age of AI assistants.
We hope you enjoyed our little look back at the versatile and handy paper clip. It’s what helps us keep things together.
