From Horseshoe, New York To Watergate: A Brief History Of The Paper Shredder

It is amazing how an ordinary, everyday object can have a fascinating history

. For example, take the paper shredder. Chances are you've used one at work and maybe you even have one of your very own at home. But did you know that this type of office product dates back to the turn of the 20th century? And that it has ties to Nazism and also played a role in the Watergate scandal? Let us travel back in time and take a look at the interesting origins of the paper shredder.

The turn of the 20th century. The shredder was originally the brain-child of a man named Abbot Augustus Low, an inventor located in Horseshoe, New York. In 1909, he received a patent for something called a "waste paper receptacle," a device that would aid the user in disposing of his/her unneeded documents. However, the plans for this device never came to fruition and it would be a few more decades before such a device was actually made.

The 1930's to the 50's. In the mid-1930's, a man who opposed the philosophies and practices of the Nazis drew up a plan for a paper shredder based on the idea behind the hand-cranked pasta maker. His name was Adolf Ehinger and his plan for the device was born out of a fervent desire to destroy his anti-Nazi documents and avoid scrutiny by the authorities. The first product based on his plans was made in 1955 and he later created his own company, EBA Mashinenfabrik, which is now known as EBA Krug & Priester GmbH & Co. Over time, the company's machines became electric as opposed to manual, and were marketed to banks, government agencies, and other organizations seeking document security.

The 1970's and 80's. Watergate was a defining moment for the United States when the scandal erupted in 1972 and paper shredders had a hand in the debacle. Supposedly, G. Gordon Liddy used a device known as the Shredmaster 400 to destroy a bunch of evidence having to do with the break-in at the Democratic National Party headquarters. Later on in the decade, shredders were used at the U.S. embassy in Iran to destroy important documents. Unfortunately, the people at the embassy were using strip-cut devices and when the building was seized in 1979, it was possible for the documents to be pieced back together, resulting in a massive security breach and underlining the need for more secure cross-cut machines. (The government now has very strict rules about which machines can be used and rightfully so.) Also, Col. Oliver North eventually told Congress that he used an Intimus 007 S cross-cut machine when he needed to dispose of private data. This admission caused sales of the product to increase by 20% in the mid-1980's.

Since then.... Paper shredders have become more and more popular over the past few decades thanks to legislation that mandates the destruction of private documents, such as the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Also, identity theft has become a much more common crime. Both of these occurrences have lead to non-government organizations and businesses shredding their documents, as well as individuals. Not complying with federal laws can lead to prosecution and massive fines, so there's an imperative for businesses to shred their documents. As for individuals, according to the Federal Trade Commission, about 9 million people become identity theft victims every year - but destroying personal documents can help prevent that from happening. So it's no wonder that these machines are so popular - and important.

From its origins in the mind of an inventor in Horseshoe, New York to its current popularity as a weapon against identity theft, the paper shredder has had a fascinating history. Now when you use your own machine, you can look at it and marvel at what a long strange trip it's been for this vital office device.

by: Jeffrey McRitchie

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