I never really realized this, but I use Post-it notes every single day. First thing in the morning when I am checking my voicemail, I write everything down on a Post-it and then hang it on my computer. They are just so convenient! Well of course my curiosity got the best of me and I had to find out how they were invented!
Art Fry and Spencer Silver
Back in the early 1970′s, Art Fry (who worked at 3M) was in search of a new type of bookmark for his hymnal at church. Everything that he had used in the past would always fall out or damage his book. So, he set out to search for something that would stay put with minimal damage.
As I mentioned before, Art worked at 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing) where they make a ton of different products such as Scotch tape, sandpaper, dental products, fire protection items, etc. Well, a few months earlier, colleague Spencer Silver invented an adhesive that was strong enough to stick to most surfaces but when removed, it left no residue. Art liked the idea of the adhesive so he applied it to some paper.
After Art started using these “bookmarks” at work to leave himself notes, he noticed that everyone in the office started stopping by to ask for some for themselves. Well after that, he pitched the idea to 3M and they decided to market it. After a few years of little interest, 3M decided to market the product a little differently. They began providing samples to various companies and after that, the idea took off. Post-it notes were now in full production.
Post-it Notes Today
Today, you can find Post-it notes in various shapes, sizes and colors. The patent for the product ran out in the early 1990′s which means that there are multiple companies making their own versions today. However, the Post-it brand is still very popular as 3M is constantly coming up with various styles of the product.
~ Adam
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