The invention of the staple was all a matter of trial and error that began in 16th-century France with the creation of a golden staple, encrusted with precious gem stones. The composition of staples continued to evolve over the centuries, which included the manufacture of staples made of brass and stainless steel. Even the design of the staple was reconfigured many times before it was perfected.
The King
King Louis XIV reigned over France from 1643 to 1715. For his own personal use, the king had staples specially designed with the insignia of the royal court. This insignia was engraved on each staple that was meant to secure the king's papers. Unfortunately, these staples were crudely made of metal that rusted easily. It is also important to note that during King Louis' time, there were no staplers; so each staple used by the king needed to be bent by hand.
Novelty
As papermaking became industrialized in the middle of the 19th century, it became necessary to find a way to hold sheets of paper documents together. Patent Novelty Manufacturing Company began developing staples of differing sizes that could be loaded into a paper fastener. The staple could then be forced through a short stack of papers and clinched closed by hand. But there was a drawback---only one staple could be added to the fastener at a time.
Clinched Staples
Up until 1877, people were still bending staples by hand, but Henry R. Heyl, an inventor from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, made the laborious procedure a thing of the past. Heyl was the first inventor to develop a device that could not only force a staple through a group of papers but also clinch the staple closed.
Hotchkiss
The EH Hotchkiss Company was the first to invent staples on strips that could be fed into a device that would force the staples through paper after its plunger was forcefully struck. This staple design was one of the first designs to catch on and be widely starting in 1895.
Jack Linksy
The 20th century was an important time period for the staple industry. In 1925, Jack Linksy invented staples known as "frozen wire" staples. According to Swingline.com, the term "frozen wire" refers to wire staples glued together with a strong adhesive to form a row. The row of staples was then fed into a stapling device. By the 1950s, Linksy's personal staple company by the name of "Swingline" was the most popular manufacturer of staple products.
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