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Post-It Note - A Sticky Accident

That Almost Didn't Happen

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Back in the 1960s, a chemist named Dr. Spencer Silver was working for 3M and trying to create a super-strong adhesive. Instead, he accidentally developed an incredibly weak glue. It was sticky enough to cling to surfaces but could also be peeled off easily without leaving a mark. At first, Silver didn’t know what to do with this “failure,” but he was convinced his invention had potential—even though no one else at 3M seemed to agree.


For years, Silver tried to find a use for his low-tack adhesive, pitching it to colleagues and the company with no success. It seemed like the idea would fade into the background, until a colleague named Art Fry had a lightbulb moment.


The Bookmark That Stuck

Fry, who sang in a church choir, had a problem: his bookmarks kept falling out of his hymnal. That’s when he remembered Silver’s reusable adhesive. Fry realized he could coat small pieces of paper with the adhesive to create sticky bookmarks that wouldn’t fall out and could be repositioned over and over again.


Excited by the idea, Fry began developing what we now know as Post-it Notes. After some trial and error, the product was perfected, and 3M eventually gave it a chance—though they weren’t fully convinced at first.


The Big Break

In 1977, Post-it Notes were first test-marketed under the name “Press ‘n Peel,” but the initial launch didn’t create much buzz. It wasn’t until 1980, when 3M rolled out the product nationwide with a massive marketing push, that the little sticky notes began to take off. Soon, offices, schools, and homes couldn’t get enough of them!

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