POPSCI.COM/ SPRING 2020 73Before this ubiquitous office staple (sorry) came along, people
used pins, ribbons, string, and other workarounds to secure
sheaves of paper. Although inventors had experimented with
wire wound in loops, Britain’s Gem Ltd. clinched the design
with two narrow concentric ovals. That provided just enough
torsion in the fastener and friction between the pages to keep
everything together. Connecticut entrepreneur William
Middlebrook patented a clip-winding machine in 1899, and
American Clip Co. started cranking out the indispensable
office supply stateside four years later. Today, its factory in
Mississippi spits out 1,600 of them every minute.BORN 1880s
THE ORIGINALS