Innovation Stories

3M Company —Post-it Notes ®

3M Post-it Notes

In the early 1970s, Art Fry of the 3M Company was in search of a bookmark for his church hymnal that would neither fall out nor damage the hymnal. Fry noticed that a colleague, Dr. Spencer Silver, had developed an adhesive that was strong enough to stick to surfaces, but left no residue after removal and could be repositioned. Fry took some of Dr. Silver’s adhesive and applied it along the edge of a piece of paper - and his problem was solved.

Soon after, Fry realized his "bookmark" had other potential applications. This "bookmark" was a new way to communicate and to organize. 3M Corporation crafted the name “Post-it note” for Fry’s bookmarks and began production in the late 1970s for commercial use. Today, we see Post-it ® notes to label files, keep notes, leave reminders and take messages.