The Ubiquitous 'Post-It' Turns 30!

While technology has evolved tremendously in the last 30 years, 'Post-It', the sticky notes that we all can't seem to live without, have essentially remained the same.

While they may now be available in 8 sizes, 62 colors and 25 shapes, the construction of each pad is unchanged - a booklet held together by the same adhesive that was used 30 years ago. What's even more amazing is that the little pads did not come about as a result of some genius idea, but are an outcome of an engineering mistake, caused when Arthur Fry and Spencer Silver stumbled on an adhesive, that could stick and be re-positioned upon any surface!

Today, Post-It notes rank among the top five best-selling office supplies and its inventors are being inducted into the 'Hall of Fame', as visionaries 'responsible for the great technological advances that make human, social and economic progress possible'.

As with anything this popular, the sticky notes are being used for a lot of other things, ranging from office pranks to amazing art. Here are a few fun examples.

EepyBird.com, the brains behind the Mentos and Coca Cola experiment have now figured out how to have fun with Post-It notes.

Then there is this man, who decided to play a prank on an office mate who revered his Jaguar!

A few years ago, a group called 'Illegal Art' took Post-It notes to the streets literally, by creating a 'piece of art' from the sticky notes that read 'To Do'. They then asked passerby's to add to it, by writing their list of things to do - On Post It notes of course! The result, as you can see, was quite impressive!

3M, the company that makes the sticky pads, constantly challenges consumers to come up with innovative ways to use the sticky pieces of paper, by holding competitions with different themes. They currently have two going on, one for teachers at : www.post-itteachers.com/MakeoverContest/, and the other for students between the ages of 11-18 at :www.3m.com/us/office/postit/promos. Be sure to check them out!

If you know of any innovative ways to use Post It notes, be sure to let us know, by adding your comments below.

sources:wikipedia.org, 3m.com