Some of the most delightful innovations are the simplest. A fine example is the Post-It Note, invented in the early 1970s by a 3M Company development researcher named Art Fry, who also was a Presbyterian church choir leader.
When marking pages in his hymnal, he noticed how often the markers would fall out, losing his place. A fellow 3M employee, a research scientist, had in 1968 developed an unusual glue, one that stuck, but could be easily pulled off without leaving a mark and reused. This scientist, Dr. Spence Silver, had covered a bulletin board with this glue. Pieces of paper could be stuck to it and could easily be removed.
Fry envisioned the process working in reverse. The company tested the Post-It Note pad by giving a few to their own secretaries, who loved the things. With proper promotion, the little yellow pads soared into popularity with the public.
Eventually, the pads also were produced in colors other than yellow. The clever, cheerful looking Fry is now retired and surely must take great delight in how his innovation has sold.
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