The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Post-It Notes were originally yellow pieces of paper with a sticky edge used for stick-on messages in offices and homes everywhere.
Post-Its were the inspiration of Arthur Fry, a chemist at the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M). One Sunday in 1974 at the North Presbyterian Church, Fry began considering better ways to mark his place in his hymnal; the slips of paper he used kept falling out, and he could not find the right hymn when it came time to sing. Suddenly he thought of a failed experiment of a 3M colleague, Spencer Silver. Trying to develop a super-strong adhesive, Silver had produced a super-weak one instead--just the thing for his purposes, Fry reasoned.
Fry experimented with the glue, adjusting the formula so the notes would not leave a residue when peeled off, and passed out samples to coworkers until he convinced 3M management to promote the product as notepaper. "Press & Peel" was test-marketed in 1977. The notes did not become popular until 3M promoted their use by distributing free samples. A flood of samples and advertising in Boise, Idaho, in 1978 produced heavy sales, and national marketing began in 1979.
Today, Post-It Notes come in a variety of colors and sizes, are a best-seller for 3M, and seem indispensable to legions of devoted users.