ST. PAUL, Minn. — The man who invented the adhesive later used on Post-it Notes has died at his home in Minnesota.
Spencer Silver died May 8 at the age of 80, according to a release from 3M.
According to 3M lore, Silver was working in one of their labs in 1968 when he discovered an adhesive formula that allowed notes to be easily attached to surfaces, removed and even re-stuck elsewhere without leaving a residue.
At the time he was trying to discover a stronger adhesive and set aside his weaker glue invention. However, he talked to coworkers about his invention, calling it a “solution waiting for a problem to solve.”
In 1974, a colleague, Art Fry, needed something that he could stick in his choir books that was stickier than a bookmark, but could be moved. He remembered Silver's adhesive and the Post-it Note was born.
While at 3M, Silver earned 37 patents and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
