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Post-it Notes are one of the all-time greatest "now why didn't I think of that?" inventions. The pads of stick-able paper have been an office essential for years, but were they really an accidental creation? Our answer: kinda yes, but mostly no. It's true the adhesive wasn't originally intended to be used on pieces of paper. Spencer Silver had created the substance with the hopes it would be much stickier. In fact, his find was pretty much forgotten until years later when a second man named Art Fry remembered Silver's not-so-sticky substance. Fry
was sitting in church, seeking a way to easily access the various hymns in his hymnal. He had a brainstorm that Silver's creation applied to the back of paper could make it easier to flip back and forth to different pages. The two mad scientists got together, 3M (their employer) made a lot of money, and one of the most recognized brands in the world was born. Today the two are equally credited with inventing Post-its -- one came up with the adhesive, and the other found a practical use for it. Goes to show it pays to get a second opinion before tossing anything, accidental or not, out the window.
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