5 Inventions That Were Rejected By Everyone Before Changing The World

The Post-it Note Was a “Failure”

In 1968, 3M scientist Spencer Silver was trying to create a stronger adhesive. Instead, he produced the opposite: a strange glue that stuck to surfaces lightly, could be peeled away easily and could be reused. It sounded useless.

Silver spent years trying to persuade colleagues to find an application for his adhesive. Then another 3M employee, Art Fry, had a problem of his own. The bookmarks in his church hymnal kept falling out. Fry remembered Silver’s unusual glue. He coated small pieces of paper with it and discovered that they could stick to a page without damaging it.

Even then, the company was reluctant. Early attempts to sell the product failed to attract much interest. 3M eventually distributed free samples, allowing people to discover what the little yellow notes were good for.

The response changed everything. The Post-it Note became one of the most recognizable office products in the world.