Happy Birthday Paperclippings.com

As you may know, my blog and website have the name of Paperclippings. Originally I wanted to call the website, The Paperclip. Since that domain was not available, I came up with Paperclippings instead.

My website, Paperclippings.com, turns 5 years old this week. According to my server records, April 18th is the day. Prior to that time I had a website posted on one of those freebie servers that put their adds where they wanted to put them.

Though the site is not necessarily about paperclips, I do have a section on them. My fascination (not really the word I want, but it will do) with the paperclip started when I was a university student many eons ago. I was getting paid to type papers for a senior who couldn't type to save his life. He would bind his hand written papers with a plastic-coated paperclip...each time in a different color.

One day I looked at one of those paperclips and thought...that thing will fit as an earring. I currently have blue shiney paperclips as my earrings...plastic-coated, of course.

Since the onset of my website I have researched all I could on the history of this tiny little tool. I learned some amazing things.

The paperclip was first invented, according to most sources, in Norway. This little bit of trivia actually became a big deal during WWII.

During the five year long Nazi occupation of Norway, in World War II, the paperclip became a symbol of national unity. It was worn with pride even though these simple show of loyalty risked wearers being arrested, deported, or even executed. BBC

During World War II, Norwegians were prohibited from wearing any buttons with the likeness or initials of their king on them. In protest they started wearing paperclips, because paperclips were a Norwegian invention whose original function was to bind together. This was a protest against the Nazi occupation and wearing a paperclip could sometimes have gotten you arrested. Everything2.com

So, now, as I celebrate the birthday of Paperclippings.com, I pay tribute to a little tiny piece of metal that made a difference to a whole country...to the country of my childrens' great grandpa.