3M created the Post-it Note after its scientist Spencer Silver developed a weak adhesive.
Silver discovered the unusual adhesive in 1968 while working at 3M. It stuck lightly to surfaces but could be removed without leaving much residue, and it could be reused. At first, the company did not have an obvious product for the invention.
A practical use emerged when 3M scientist Art Fry wanted a bookmark that would stay in his church hymnal without damaging the pages. He applied Silver's adhesive to small pieces of paper, creating the basic idea for a repositionable note.
The product was initially test-marketed in 1977 as Press 'n Peel. It was relaunched as Post-it Notes in 1980 and became widely recognized as a 3M office product. The story is often simplified as a purely accidental invention, but the commercial product required years of development, testing, and marketing.