Minnesota Post-It Note Inventor Passes Away at 80
RIP to the chemist and inventor that is responsible for keeping so many people organized on the job. Spencer Silver passed away May 8th at 80 years old in his home in St. Paul.
One of the 37 patents awarded to him during his time at 3M is for microsphere adhesives Post-it. In 1974 colleague Art Fry came up with the idea of using Spencer s invention to prevent paper bookmarks from falling out of his hymnal when he sang in church. Thus, Post-it Notes were born.
Silver retired from 3M in1996, and won multiple awards for chemistry and inventing, but it wasn t all science for him. He was also a talented artist who had his work displayed at the Bloomington Center for the Arts and other venues. He also enjoyed cooking and traveling with his wife.