Forty-three years ago, in 1977, the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, known today as 3M, rolled out a new product in four American cities. This, several years after product developer Spencer Silver worked to create a stronger adhesive than the world had yet seen. He failed.
What he came up with instead was a mildly sticky adhesive that could be removed and re-stuck on smooth surfaces. That wasn’t going to work for the project he had in mind, but Silver wasn’t convinced his not-so-sticky glue wouldn’t eventually be good for something.
It took someone else to come up with the something. Art Fry was a forty-three-year-old 3M developer and committed church choir member who used scraps of paper to mark the weekly songs in his hymnal. The problem he ran into is that his makeshift bookmarks fell out of place all the time. He needed something sticky, but just not sticky enough to damage the pages of his hymnal.
Fry remembered hearing about his coworker’s sticky-but-not-too sticky glue and began to formulate an idea. He grabbed some yellow scrap paper from the lab next door, applied Silver’s glue and started scribbling away.
What hadn’t appealed to the test markets in the original four cities as Press ‘n Peels, took off when it was rebranded as Post-It Notes and given out as samples in Boise, Idaho where ninety-four percent of the people who gave them a go said they’d happily buy their own pad.
Suddenly office workers had a way to quickly make a note on a coworker’s report, label their sandwich in the break room fridge, and bookmark their choir music on the weekends. The more people used the Post-It, the more they realized they weren’t sure what they’d ever done without it.
I get it that. The Post-It Note is a staple in my world. I use them to write messages to my family and stick them in in their line of sight. They mark important places in my research tomes and endless collections of notes. When knee deep in revisions, Post-Its feature scribbled reminders that if I’m going to kill off so-and-so in Chapter 11, I need to drop a hint of his terrible illness into Chapter 3.
These little scraps of sticky paper seem like such an insignificant thing, and while I’m sure I could manage to get a long without them, I’m glad I’ve never had to. And I really haven’t, because we grew up together.
I’m about to turn forty-three myself, which seems like a fairly insignificant birthday. I’m at that age when I have to do the math to even remember how old I really am. But I do hope that like the Post-It Note I’m pretty handy to have around, that I stick to the important things, and that I’d be a hit in Boise if I ever had the inclination to go there.
And I hope that like the then forty-three-year old Art Fry, I’ve still got a few good ideas up my sleeves.
Author Sarah Angleton 
Thank you for verifying and detailing a little factoid I throw out every once in a while—that Post-its were created by a man in a church choir. I’d read that little tidbit years ago but then started doubting myself when I’d share it but never had another person say, “I knew that.” LOL I thought maybe I’d been misinformed or made it up along the way somehow. I’m happy to know one of my favorite little trivia facts is true! Plus, Post-its keep me sane!
This story is on the 3M website so I assume it is true, or it’s a clever marketing story. Either way, it is a fun little tidbit.
Super Sticky is even better.
I haven’t tried them, but I could see them being useful, too.
Fun! 🙂 I’m not sure I could survive without post-its haha. I have a post-it calendar even that you can put tiny post-its on to keep appointments organized! 🙂 And then of course there’s always the Romy & Michelle connection 🙂 🙂 Happy birthday to you and the post-it!
Oh, I forgot that Romy & Michelle invented Post-Its! Funny. That calendar sounds great!
Nice post. It’s amazing how we take these things for granted and don’t stop to think about how we’d manage without them. Others have, we would, but just like the microwave, I love my sticky notes!
Right?! I use them all the time.
Good post!
Thank you!
I remember hearing this story a while ago. Good example of how screwing up now and then can actually yield something worthwhile. Although I can never seem to find my sticky notes when I meed them….
Yes. I love that he never gave up on the idea that his accidental creation would eventually be good for something. I have pads of Post-Its tucked away all over my house.
I swear gremlins steal mine 🤨
Not that anyone cares, but I will be using two post its today. 🤠🔥 great read!
I care.
Aww! One will be for counting the congregation and the other for the offering bag that is secured. Sarah, you have a brilliant mind. I really look up to you. Have a beautiful day!
Thank you. That is a very kind thing to say.
I loved this blog. They will never be ‘just’ post it’s anymore! Thank you.
Cindy Ferguson
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Ha! They were never just Post It’s to me. Glad I could share the love.
Love keep-trying-until-you-succeed stories like this one!
Me too!