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History of the 7-ring binder?
Aug. 27th, 2017 11:32 amIt is likely a HIStory given the domains and time frames; however, if anyone knows different, please let me know.
Specifically, I wanted to trace the history of the 7-ring binder. The original ring binders were 2 or 3 rings, with the 3 rings along the spine variation being mass produced in the US around the turn of the 20th century and becoming the de facto standard worldwide (give or take a bit, there's a lot of variation for sure).
What I want to know is where the 7 ring binder originated from. I can find no clues anywhere! Well, maybe a few clues... they may have been used by Boeing for flight operations manuals and checklists (specifically, I can find reference to 737s, which first went into service in 1968). They are popular amongst those who make planner products, but I have a hunch that's not where they originated from, but were rather adopted there. But I am wondering if Boeing maybe took the 7-ring system from some earlier aviation or aerospace or ... what? dunno ... source. Conversely, I found this reference to a 7-ring Day-Timer planner in the January, 1967 edition (Vol. 53, p. 13) of the American Bar Association Journal, so maybe my hunch is hooey... So I know it goes back to at least 1967, and the fact there is no "new and improved" slogan on the binder implies to me it goes back farther than that.
The advantage of 7 rings is plain paper pages don't tend to rip like they do in 3 ring binders, so it is a real advantage when doing things like mission critical checklists or planners that are going to be leafed through many times a day.
Any thoughts? Hints? Breadcrumbs?
Edit: found another reference to the Day-Timer's "Lawyer's Day" time planner in the American Bar Association Journal. This time in the July 1961 edition (Vol. 47, p. 656). So, I think my 737 hypothesis is well and truly dead now. Maybe it's stationary for lawyers where it became "a thing". It also precludes, I think, NASA since it was only founded in 1958. So, I've gone back 6 years more, and still no clue as to where it originated (although I think I found out where it gained traction as a product format).
Edit: Okay... maybe another breadcrumb... Day-Timer started as the "Lawyer's Day" product it seems by "Morris Perkin (1909–1976), a successful Pennsylvania attorney". Ah, a legal profession connection. It still doesn't necessarily imply that the 7-ring system was invented for this application though (correlation does not imply causation, right?). I found another reference in the ABA Journal, this time in the July 1960 edition (Vol. 46, p. 702). The advertisement here is that is is a system by a lawyer for lawyers, it does explicitly state that is a 7 ring binder system, but it still doesn't do anything other than state that's what it uses (again, implying it's a big meh, and isn't any sort of innovation at this point).
Edit: Found reference to "handsome 7 ring binder" in an advert for Jeppesen flight planning pages in the November 1962 edition of FLYING magazine. There may still be an aviation connection... or maybe it's military in origin? The fact that both the legal/planner and aviation instances are co-existing (and make no mention of the "gosh golly wow new" of the 7 ring system) seem to imply that both are based on a technology developed earlier.
Specifically, I wanted to trace the history of the 7-ring binder. The original ring binders were 2 or 3 rings, with the 3 rings along the spine variation being mass produced in the US around the turn of the 20th century and becoming the de facto standard worldwide (give or take a bit, there's a lot of variation for sure).
What I want to know is where the 7 ring binder originated from. I can find no clues anywhere! Well, maybe a few clues... they may have been used by Boeing for flight operations manuals and checklists (specifically, I can find reference to 737s, which first went into service in 1968). They are popular amongst those who make planner products, but I have a hunch that's not where they originated from, but were rather adopted there. But I am wondering if Boeing maybe took the 7-ring system from some earlier aviation or aerospace or ... what? dunno ... source. Conversely, I found this reference to a 7-ring Day-Timer planner in the January, 1967 edition (Vol. 53, p. 13) of the American Bar Association Journal, so maybe my hunch is hooey... So I know it goes back to at least 1967, and the fact there is no "new and improved" slogan on the binder implies to me it goes back farther than that.
The advantage of 7 rings is plain paper pages don't tend to rip like they do in 3 ring binders, so it is a real advantage when doing things like mission critical checklists or planners that are going to be leafed through many times a day.
Any thoughts? Hints? Breadcrumbs?
Edit: found another reference to the Day-Timer's "Lawyer's Day" time planner in the American Bar Association Journal. This time in the July 1961 edition (Vol. 47, p. 656). So, I think my 737 hypothesis is well and truly dead now. Maybe it's stationary for lawyers where it became "a thing". It also precludes, I think, NASA since it was only founded in 1958. So, I've gone back 6 years more, and still no clue as to where it originated (although I think I found out where it gained traction as a product format).
Edit: Okay... maybe another breadcrumb... Day-Timer started as the "Lawyer's Day" product it seems by "Morris Perkin (1909–1976), a successful Pennsylvania attorney". Ah, a legal profession connection. It still doesn't necessarily imply that the 7-ring system was invented for this application though (correlation does not imply causation, right?). I found another reference in the ABA Journal, this time in the July 1960 edition (Vol. 46, p. 702). The advertisement here is that is is a system by a lawyer for lawyers, it does explicitly state that is a 7 ring binder system, but it still doesn't do anything other than state that's what it uses (again, implying it's a big meh, and isn't any sort of innovation at this point).
Edit: Found reference to "handsome 7 ring binder" in an advert for Jeppesen flight planning pages in the November 1962 edition of FLYING magazine. There may still be an aviation connection... or maybe it's military in origin? The fact that both the legal/planner and aviation instances are co-existing (and make no mention of the "gosh golly wow new" of the 7 ring system) seem to imply that both are based on a technology developed earlier.
