Inventor of Post-it Notes adhesive dies at age 80

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The inventor of the adhesive used on one of 3M’s best-known products, the Post-it Note, has died at his home in Minnesota.

The family’s obituary says Spencer Silver died May 8 at age 80. According to 3M, Silver was working in a company lab in 1968 when he discovered an adhesive formula that allowed notes to be easily attached to surfaces, removed and even re-posted elsewhere without leaving a residue.

In 1974, a colleague came up with the idea of using Silver’s adhesive on paper and a product that later became known as Post-it Notes was born.