Post-Its and Messages

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It feels like the ubiquitous Posts-Its Notes have been with us always.

Some facts and trivia about Post-Its . . . 

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In 1968, a scientist at 3M in the United States, Dr. Spencer Silver, was attempting to develop a super-strong adhesive. Instead he accidentally created a "low-tack", reusable, pressure-sensitive adhesive. For five years, Silver tried to interest his colleagues at 3M, both informally and through seminars but without success.

Meanwhile, 5 years later, another scientist at 3M was having his own problems. Arthur Fry attended choir practice each Wednesday evening and he used small bits of paper to mark those hymns in his hymnal that they would be practising. Unfortunately his marker notes would fall out. He recalled colleague Spry’s seminar about his glue that wouldn’t stick and came up with the idea of removable sticky notes. According to Fry, later: “I thought, what we have here isn't just a bookmark, iIt's a whole new way to communicate."

After having the employees of 3M test the idea and receiving favourable feedback, the company launched the idea commercially in 1977.

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The product was originally marketed under the name “Press ‘n Peel”, becoming “Post-Its” in 1979.

The iconic Canary Yellow colour was chosen because a lab next door to Fry only had scrap yellow paper on hand.

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Both Silver and Fry won 3M's highest honours for research and numerous awards within the international engineering community. Silver still works at 3M, specializing in adhesives technology. In his spare time, he has also won a reputation as an accomplished painter in pastels and oils. Fry retired in the early 1990’s.

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The Post-it Note was elevated to an art form when it was included in the "Humble Masterpieces" exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

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3M built the World's Largest Pink Ribbon out of 75,000 neon pink Post-it Super Sticky Notes. The ribbon was placed more than 18 stories high on a billboard in Times Square throughout a windy October in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

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Post-It notes received an upgrade in 2003 when 3M launched a new version of the Post-It note with super sticky glue that has better adhesion to vertical surfaces.

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In 2001, the patent for the glue that 3M uses on Post-It notes expired, so many other companies now make similar sticky notes. However, 3M retains the rights to the name and the use of the yellow colour.

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In 1989 a family left a Post-it Note on their front door during Hurricane Hugo and it was there 3 days later. Their trees weren’t.

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Which brings me to what started all of this, my coming across a reference to Subway Therapy.

After Donald Trump was elected Pres of the U S of A, people began posting messages on Post-Its on a wall at Union Square Station in New York City. The wall messages were a way for New Yorkers and those traveling through the Union Square Station in New York City to express themselves without getting into an argument with loved ones or strangers about President-elect Trump. It was started by artist Matthew Chavez, who goes by the artist name Levee. He provided the notes and pens, encouraging people to leave their feelings about the US presidential election written on Post-It notes. Not all were anti. The idea spread to other cities, other walls. Six weeks after the message wall commenced, following the inauguration of President Trump, the messages were removed. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced however that a large portion of the inspiring and deeply personal messages would be archived by the New York Historical Society.

Gallery:

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The idea is not new. 

After 9/11, people began posting sticky labels on a wall in Union Station with the names of people who died in the attacks. The notes also contained the places of birth of the deceased and sometimes had personal messages added. Over the years the messages have faded, some have gone, but others are renewed by being overwritten in pen. The authorities have left the messages intact and the wall remains a moving memorial to those who died on 9/11.

Gallery: