[Jamestown1630]

Is that true?

[bigdaddy45]

It is. The glue on sticky notes was a failure. It was for another purpose and didn’t hold well at all. If i recall correctly, the inventor just decided to use it for his own personal use on pieces of paper in a hymnal. Someone noticed what a great idea it was, and the rest is history.

[bankwalker]

from meta.ai:

The humble sticky note. It's hard to imagine a time when our desks weren't cluttered with these colorful, adhesive notes. But, believe it or not, sticky notes have a fascinating origin story.

The discovery of sticky notes is credited to Dr. Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M (then known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company), back in 1968. Silver was trying to develop a strong adhesive for use in the aerospace industry. However, he ended up creating a weak, pressure-sensitive adhesive that could be easily removed without leaving a residue.

Initially, Silver didn't know what to do with this new adhesive. He shared his findings with other researchers at 3M, hoping someone might find a use for it. One of those researchers was Art Fry, a member of 3M's choir. Fry was looking for a way to mark pages in his hymnal without damaging the book. He remembered Silver's adhesive and realized it could be used to create small, removable notes. Fry began experimenting with Silver's adhesive, applying it to small pieces of paper. The first sticky notes were born, although they wouldn't be called that just yet. Fry's initial prototypes were more like bookmarks, but he soon realized the potential for a more versatile product.

The first sticky notes, called "Press 'n Peel Bookmarks," were introduced in 1977. However, they didn't gain much traction. It wasn't until 1980, when 3M rebranded them as "Post-it Notes," that they became a massive success. The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, sticky notes are a ubiquitous office supply item, used for everything from jotting down quick reminders to creating elaborate to-do lists. And it all started with a scientist's accidental discovery and a choir member's creative problem-solving.