Post-it notes: an invention that has endured!

They are so ingenious and useful that we can’t imagine everyday office life without them. The American magazine “Fortune” even calls them one of the most important inventions of the 20th century, ranking them alongside such inventions as the refrigerator, the Boeing 707 and the CD! Sticky notes Post-itavailable in the size you need, have been on a phenomenal winning path since their introduction in 1974. But as is often the case with great discoveries, it didn’t seem like it at first…

Back in 1970, scientist Dr. Spencer Silver, then working for Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M), invented a weak adhesive that, while it stuck anywhere, was very easy to remove and left no residue. However, the invention of this type of adhesive was not given the attention it deserved because no one understood its great benefit. It wasn’t until a few years later, in 1974, that a regular annoyance that Art Fry faced caused a breakthrough. Chemist Art Fry, also a 3M employee and an active member of the church choir, complained: his paper strips, which he always carefully placed in his hymn book before the service, always fell out when he opened the book, forcing him to tediously look up the selected hymns again. And so a colleague’s invention, stored in a drawer years ago, saw the light of day again and, after several tests and improvements, brought out the best in him: the note slips held reliably in the hymnbook and could be easily removed or, if necessary, repositioned afterwards without leaving any trace of sticking. What a breakthrough! – You might think… In reality, however, the notepads that got the name Post-it had a very difficult time:

In 1977, a survey conducted by 3M in four areas of the US showed that hardly anyone was using Post-it notes. It still seemed that the purpose of their use was not entirely clear. Fortunately, 3M believed in its discovery and launched a major marketing campaign: company executives visited countless businesses and demonstrated and showed the benefits of Post-it notes on the spot. And from then on, there was no stopping the success: just four years after its official launch, in 1980, the Post-it notebook achieved the greatest success of any 3M product up to that time!

Because of their high utility in the office and workshop, you will find these Post-it classics in many variants here too! No matter how you want to sort or categorise your notes: by narrow stripes, square shapes, sticky notes by different bright colours or the classic self-adhesive Post-it yellow – your message is guaranteed to stay in place!