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Arthur Fry

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Inventor

The Resume

    (1931- )
    Born in Minnesota
    Scientist employed by 3M
    In 1974 tried to find a better way to bookmark pages in his church hymnal
    Co-created with 3M scientist Spencer Silver Press'n'Peel Pads (1977)
    Shortly thereafter renamed Post-it Notes
    More than 600 Post-it Note products have been introduced
    Inducted into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame (2002)

Why he might be annoying:

    He didn't invent the actual adhesive that 'stuck readily, but not tightly' to surfaces (his colleague did).
    The substance came about as a failed 3M experiment to invent waterproof adhesive.
    He built a machine to produce the first pads at his house, but it became so large that when it was time to move it to 3M, his basement wall needed to be removed.
    Test markets in 1977 showed mixed reaction to the notes and management had doubts it would be a success.
    He claims his idea 'didn't make me rich, but it did make me happy.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He came from a humble background and received his early education in a one-room rural schoolhouse.
    When 3M saturated the business market in Boise (called the 'Boise blitz') with free samples of his product in 1978, a whopping 90% of folks said they would buy it.
    When introduced en masse in 1980, Post-it Notes became an immediate smash.
    Several Fortune 500 CEOs, including Lee Iacocca, wrote to express how much they loved the product.
    Post-it Notes have been named on several lists as 'top product of the decade.'
    One college student did his thesis about his invention and a few artists have created entire murals of colored Post-It Notes.
    He was given credit by name for the invention in the 1997 movie 'Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.'

Credit: Scar Tactics


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 117 Votes: 52.14% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 18 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 168 Votes: 51.79% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 19 Votes: 52.63% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 18 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 108 Votes: 70.37% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 25 Votes: 36.00% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 214 Votes: 31.78% Annoying