Google punches up Doodle tribute to the office hole puncher

While not quite as indispensable as the stapler, the hole puncher has been a staple of business offices for more than a century.

It's not only helped corral dangerously thick reams of papers for easier organization, the hole puncher has also provided many a test of physical strength. It challenges whether our grip or downward force is strong enough to puncture the stack, pushing out a neat cylinder of future confetti -- or whether we had to reduce the load, like a dejected weightlifter.

History tells us we have Friedrich Soennecken, a German entrepreneur and inventor,to thank for this officious yet sometimes physically demanding office tool. Soennecken, who fittingly also introduced the ring binder, filed a patent for the hole puncher on Nov. 14, 1886.

To celebrate the 131st anniversary of that filing, Google launched an animated Doodle Tuesday that demonstrates the joy often associated with a successful punch. The fruits of that labor make up most of the Doodle, providing a happier use to the unwieldy mess usually left over from the task.

As we move toward a digital existence increasingly devoid of paper, take a moment to appreciate that feeling of achievement that can still be gained from a 19th century relic.

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