Paper clips seem like the most boring office tool, but they’ve got a rebellious history! During World War II, Norwegians turned the humble paper clip into a symbol of resistance against Nazi occupation. In 1940, after Germany invaded Norway, the Nazis banned all patriotic symbols, like pins with the Norwegian flag or the initials of King Haakon VII, who had fled to London. Norwegians got creative and started wearing paper clips on their lapels as a subtle act of defiance.

Why paper clips? They were invented by a Norwegian named Johan Vaaler in 1899, though his design was slightly different from the modern “Gem” clip we use today. To Norwegians, the paper clip became a symbol of national pride, and wearing one showed unity—“holding together” against the occupiers. The Nazis eventually caught on and banned paper clips too, but that didn’t stop people from using them in secret. Students would clip them to their clothes, and some even wore them as bracelets or necklaces to signal resistance without saying a word.

The paper clip protest became so iconic that after the war, a giant paper clip monument was erected in Oslo to honor the resistance. It’s a quirky reminder that even the smallest objects can carry big meaning in tough times. Today, over 11 trillion paper clips are made annually, mostly for boring office tasks, but their wartime legacy lives on. Next time you clip some papers together, think about the Norwegians who turned this tiny tool into a symbol of freedom—it’s a bite-sized fact that packs a punch!