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KF5JRV > TODAY 06.04.26 11:04l 19 Lines 2076 Bytes #60 (0) @ WW
BID : 22779_KF5JRV
Subj: Today in History - Apr 06
Path: ED1ZAC<ED1ZAC<IZ3LSV<IK6IHL<IK7NXU<HB9ON<DK0WUE<PD0LPM<PI8ZTM<PY2BIL<
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Sent: 260406/0840Z 22779@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQ6.0.24
On April 6, 1980, 3M begins sales of Post-it Notes. The canary yellow sticky pads quickly become one of the best-selling office supply products in history and a ubiquitous staple in schools and offices around the world.
No, Post-it Notes were not invented by the title characters in Romy and Micheleâ€Ös High School Reunion, but by 3M scientists Spencer Silver and Arthur Fry. In 1968, Silver was working as a 3M research chemist when he developed an unusual adhesive made of tiny acrylic spheresâ€östicky enough to hold papers together, but weak enough to peel away cleanly and be reused. Because the microspheres touched surfaces at only a few points, the adhesive retained its tack even after repeated use.
For years, 3M struggled to find a practical consumer use. A prototype bulletin board coated with the adhesive failed when dust and dirt reduced its sticking power. Silverâ€Ös creation remained a solution in search of a problemâ€öuntil Fry, a 3M product development specialist, found one.
While singing in his church choir, Fry grew frustrated when the paper bookmarks he used kept slipping out of his hymnal. Recalling Silverâ€Ös adhesive from a company seminar, he realized it could anchor a bookmark without damaging the page. Soon, colleagues began using the sticky slips to write notes and reminders, revealing a far broader use. “I thought what we have here isnâ€Öt just a bookmark,” Fry later said. “Itâ€Ös a whole new way to communicate.”
After test-marketing the product as “Press â€Ön Peel” in four cities in 1977, 3M rebranded and launched “Post-it Notes” nationwide three years later. They quickly caught on. “It was always a self-advertising product,” Fry said. People “would look at it, peel it off and play with it, and then go out and buy a pad for themselves.”
Today, Post-it Notes remain one of 3Mâ€Ös most recognizable products. For their sticky creation, Fry and Silver were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2010.
73 de Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
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