History - Inventions and discoveries - Sticky notes - Adhesives - United States - History of inventions
Who had the idea for the removable, self-adhesive notes?
Correct!
In the 1970s, the American developer Arthur Fry had the crucial idea for the self-adhesive notes that are now known worldwide. The starting point was a special adhesive that his colleague Spencer Ferguson Silver III had developed back in 1968. The adhesive stuck to surfaces but could be removed without leaving any heavy residue. Arthur Fry sang in a church choir and was annoyed that the strips of paper he used as bookmarks in his hymnal kept falling out. In 1974 he came up with the idea of applying Silver's glue to small pieces of paper. This created pieces of paper that could be stuck on, removed and re-attached. It was soon realized that they were not only suitable as bookmarks, but also excellent for short messages and notes. This idea later gave rise to the well-known Post-it notes, which came onto the market in 1980.
Arthur Fry had the crucial idea for removable, self-adhesive notes.
