Spencer Silver, an Inventor of Post-it Notes, Is Dead at 80
He created the adhesive that lets the small, square notes stick to surfaces. They became one of the most ubiquitous office products ever conceived.
Spencer Silver, left, was a chemist at 3M when he created the adhesive that lets Post-it Notes adhere to surfaces as easily as they’re peeled off. His 3M colleague Art Fry, top right, figured how to use it to create the office pad.Credit...via 3M
Published May 13, 2021Updated May 14, 2021
Spencer Silver, a research chemist at 3M who inadvertently created the not-too-sticky adhesive that allows Post-it Notes to be removed from surfaces as easily as they adhere to them, died on May 8 at his home in St. Paul, Minn. He was 80.