The next time you’re filling out those TPS reports–in triplicate–you know at whom to direct your angry bursts of profanity. In AD 105, a eunuch at the court of the Chinese emperor first invented paper. The eunuch, Tsai Lun, worked with materials like tree bark, hemp, and bamboo fibers in his quest to create a good surface for writing. However, his landmark invention didn’t make his life much easier: “The emperor, Ho Ti (or He Di), promoted Tsai, who became wealthy. But the inventor of paper (on paper, at least) eventually got involved in palace intrigue and ended his life by drinking poison.”
To learn more, check out this article on Wired.