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Subject: Today in History - Apr 06
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On April 6, 1980, 3M begins sales of Post-it Notes. The canary yellow sticky pads quickly become one of the best-selling office
supply products in history and a ubiquitous staple in schools and offices around the world.
No, Post-it Notes were not invented by the title characters in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, but by 3M scientists S
pencer Silver and Arthur Fry. In 1968, Silver was working as a 3M research chemist when he developed an unusual adhesive made o
f tiny acrylic spheres—sticky enough to hold papers together, but weak enough to peel away cleanly and be reused. Because the
microspheres touched surfaces at only a few points, the adhesive retained its tack even after repeated use.
For years, 3M struggled to find a practical consumer use. A prototype bulletin board coated with the adhesive failed when dust
and dirt reduced its sticking power. Silver’s creation remained a solution in search of a problem—until Fry, a 3M product d
evelopment specialist, found one.
While singing in his church choir, Fry grew frustrated when the paper bookmarks he used kept slipping out of his hymnal. Recall
ing Silver’s adhesive from a company seminar, he realized it could anchor a bookmark without damaging the page. Soon, colleag
ues began using the sticky slips to write notes and reminders, revealing a far broader use. “I thought what we have here isn
t just a bookmark,” Fry later said. “It’s a whole new way to communicate.”
After test-marketing the product as “Press ’n Peel” in four cities in 1977, 3M rebranded and launched “Post-it Notes”
nationwide three years later. They quickly caught on. “It was always a self-advertising product,” Fry said. People “woul
d look at it, peel it off and play with it, and then go out and buy a pad for themselves.”
Today, Post-it Notes remain one of 3M’s most recognizable products. For their sticky creation, Fry and Silver were inducted i
nto the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2010.
73 de Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
Email KF5JRV@gmail.com
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