num_pages: 224
description: You undoubtedly know what a paperclip is and how to use it, but did you know that during the Second World War the people of Norway adopted paperclips as a symbol of protest against the occupying Nazis? Really Useful tells these and other stories of how the things we use every day came into being. As much a sociological history as a compendium of entertaining stories, Really Useful takes you on a tour from the kitchen to the bathroom to the office and beyond. Along the way it tells us about the technology, design, social conditions and even intrigue that contributed to these remarkable innovations, which 
language: English
title: Really Useful: The Origins of Everyday Things
titlecomplete: Really Useful: The Origins of Everyday Things
genres: History, Trivia, Science, Reference, Design, Nonfiction, Microhistory
ratings_count: 53
publisher: Firefly Books