![]() ![]() In 1968, Silver was working on an adhesive that could be used for medical purposes when he stumbled upon a strange discovery: a unique adhesive that wouldn’t stick too strongly, but could still hold items together. The Fascinating Story of the Creation of Post-It Notes Silver is credited with over 30 patents throughout his career and was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2003 for his contributions to the field of science and engineering. He began working at 3M shortly after and quickly made a name for himself as an innovative thinker and problem solver. Silver was born in 1941 and earned his PhD in chemistry from UCLA in 1967. ![]() Spencer Silver, a scientist and chemist at 3M Corporation. A Historical Look at the Inventor of Post-It Notes Meet the Innovator Behind the Post-It Note ![]() But who was the genius behind this revolutionary invention? Let’s take a closer look at the history of the Post-it Note and the innovator who invented it. ![]() These tiny pieces of paper have a seemingly endless variety of uses and are an invaluable tool for taking notes, organizing tasks, and staying on top of deadlines. The Post-it Note has become a staple of offices, homes, and classrooms around the world. "I saw one spy movie where the buxom German spy had a Post-it Note that was folded up in her cleavage so when she leaned back, it exposed the message and then when she leaned forward, it was hidden again.3M, History, Invention, Post-It Note, Spencer Silver, Sticky Note Introduction "You go to a movie theater, you see somebody's computer screen covered in Post-it Notes," Silver says. "You know, I've got notes that I applied to books in 1974 and they still come off and they still can be re-stuck," he says.įor Silver, he enjoys seeing Post-it Notes in the movies. Their patience paid off - and Fry says he's just glad he found a solution to his bookmark problem. "We had to develop the primers, the backside coating and the machines to make it," Fry says. "And then it took him about six or seven years before it actually went out into the field." "It took close to seven years before I had this adhesive on a prototype product like Art developed," says Silver. But the new product was far from an overnight success. "I was able to make rudimentary bookmarks at that time and discovered that they weren't just bookmarks, but they were self-attaching notes," he says. Spencer Silver (left) and Art Fry, inventors of the Post-it Note, say the iconic canary yellow was first used because their lab only had scrap yellow paper on hand. "So I'm looking over the guy's shoulder next to me, trying to find the page." "Everybody else started singing and I'm still trying to find what page we're on," Fry says. He had bookmarked his hymnal with little pieces of paper but when it was time to sing, the pieces of paper fell out. That problem came when Fry was singing in a church choir. "With so many new technologies you file them away in your memory bank and then pull them out when you see problems." "Spencer was talking about his adhesive and I learned a little bit about it," says Fry. Then, Silver told his colleague Art Fry about the new adhesive. But he had a problem: He didn't know what to do with it. The adhesive was weak enough that Silver could stick it and reapply it to surfaces without leaving behind any residue. It all started when he stumbled on a new type of adhesive that used tiny microspheres. These are the moments when everything seems to click, and people leap forward into their careers.įor Spencer Silver, a retired chemist at 3M, his big break was the Post-it Note. Thankfully for Fry, his coworker Spencer Silver had a new adhesive in the works.Īs part of a series called "My Big Break," All Things Considered is collecting stories of triumph, big and small. 3M employee Art Fry had a problem: When he sang with his church choir, his paper bookmarks were forever falling out of his hymnal. ![]()
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