The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[DewDiligence]

Inventor of Post-It Notes dies:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/3m-chemist-found-the-adhesive-used-in-post-it-notes-11621000800

Experimenting in a 3M Co. laboratory in 1968, Spencer Silver found something he wasn’t looking for: an adhesive that could hold two surfaces together but wouldn’t leave a residue when they were peeled apart.

The substance took the form of tiny spheres rather than a smooth film. “They were optically clear, soft and rubbery,” he told the New Jersey Star-Ledger later. Dr. Silver patented the adhesive and figured it must be good for something.

It took 3M more than a decade to decide exactly what it was good for… One of his early ideas for the adhesive was a sticky bulletin board that wouldn’t require thumbtacks. Post-it Notes became the preferred application when secretaries at 3M found the early versions irresistible.