Art Fry & Spence Silver

Discovery: Post-it® Note
Early Pioneers of Everyday Science


In the 1960s, 3M Scientist Spence Silver had developed an adhesive that was strong enough to stick to surfaces, but could be easily removed without residue. What could the world do with something like this? 3M Researcher, Art Fry had an idea. While in church, he noticed the bookmarks in his hymnal kept falling out. If only there was a way to keep them in place with something that would stick without damaging the page... he connected with his colleague to explore creative synergy between technology and idea. The repositionable "bookmarks" took on new functions, revolutionizing the way we communicate with the invention of the Post-it® Note in 1980.