People all over the world use colorful little squares of paper to help them remember something. Some people even use them to create works of art: These little squares are called Post-it Notes. One of their creators, Spencer Silver, recently passed away at 80.
Silver first started working on the notes in 1968, when he was working for technology company 3M. He discovered a kind of weak glue (胶) that didn't leave behind any residue (残留物) when it was taken off. ★ But he and his partner Art Fry came up with the idea of putting the glue on small pieces of paper to create notes that could be easily moved from one place to another. They borrowed some yellow paper and went to work on their creation The Post-it Note was finally born in 1974.
However, it wasn't brought to market until 1977 and didn't really take off until 1980. Today, it is one of 3M's best-selling things. The company makes more than 50 million Post-it Notes every year. Silver, a creative chemist, had 37 inventions during his time at 3M. He was included into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his achievements.
These days, Post-it Notes are made in many different colors. sizes and shapes, including fruit and animals. They are useful for many things. You can use them to take notes, mark your place in a book, give someone a reminder, or even ask someone to a dance. You can even see them in the Museum of Modem Art in New York.
