The History of Red Tape

The story goes that in the 16th century, under Charles V of Spain, administrators would bind important dossiers in red ribbon to indicate whenever people were discussing things. And this practice spread to other monarchies and eventually made its way to other forms of government. In the United States, for example, all the way through the early 20th century, official documents would often be bound by red string, red ribbons, and yes, red tape. Red tape is now a synonym for bureaucracy itself.