Filing Cabinet And It's History

When we use common items each day, we often don't take the time to consider how they came about. The same holds true for the filing cabinet. The first cabinet was invented by a man named Henry Brown back in 1886. It was a horizontal, or "lateral" cabinet and was made to preserve and store important documents. It was made of forged metal, could be locked and was also fire resistant. It was a better model than other similar containers in the fact that the papers stored inside could be organized and sorted rather than laying in loose piles or stacks. Anyone that has ever had to sift through piles of papers trying to find something knows the importance of this invention.

The vertical filing cabinet is the one that is more widely known today. The idea for this type was brought to fruition in 1898 by Edwin G. Seibels. This cabinet is found in homes and offices around the world and is more popular than the lateral cabinet. The new cabinet became revolutionary in the fact that papers did not have to be folded, but could be stored in large envelopes standing in the drawers. This opened up a whole new avenue for organizing and sorting important files and papers.

In 1950, the production of the Xerox machine meant that more and more papers were being produced and the need for the filing cabinet grew, making them even more popular. The government requiring companies to keep pristine records of their business dealings was also an important factor in the popularity of these cabinets. It is interesting that even with the prolific use of computers, the need for filing systems has not decreased.