Accidental Inventions of the 20th Century, Part Two: The Slinky and the Post-it Note

Summary

Ridiculous History: Accidental Inventions of the 20th Century, Part Two: The Slinky and the Post-it Note

Episode Release Date: May 15, 2025
Hosts: Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown
Producer: Max Williams
Research Associate: Jeff Bartlett
Podcast Series: Accidental Inventions

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Introduction and Origin of the Podcast

The episode begins with hosts Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown reminiscing about the unintended beginnings of their podcast, Ridiculous History. They humorously recount how the show itself is an accidental invention, born out of a last-minute project assigned by their former boss at How Stuff Works. As Ben jokes, “[...] we recognized we were running low on research material that morning. And that afternoon we get the marching orders to continue the show forever” ([06:14]).

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The Slinky: From Ship Stabilizer to Iconic Toy

Richard James and the Accidental Creation The story of the Slinky starts with Richard James, an engineer during World War II, who was tasked with developing a stable spring to enhance naval ship instrumentation. Despite his best efforts, James inadvertently knocked a spring off his table, observing its mesmerizing motion as it "walked" across the floor ([11:00]).

From Engineering to Entertainment Intrigued by the spring's movement, James saw potential beyond its original military application. He imagined it as a playful toy, leading to the creation of the Slinky. As Ben quips, “[...] what stands out to Richie James, because not only does this thing walk its way down to the floor after he knocks it off the table, but then it recoils itself and assumes its original shape” ([13:02]).

Marketing the Slinky James and his wife Betty co-founded James Industries in 1945, launching the Slinky in stores. Initial skepticism was swiftly overcome when they demonstrated the Slinky's unique motion. At one event in Philadelphia’s Gimbel's department store, 400 Slinkies were sold within two hours, turning it into an overnight sensation ([20:08]).

Cultural Impact The Slinky became a cultural icon, symbolizing innovation and the playful side of engineering. Max humorously ties it to popular culture references, noting how the Slinky’s design influenced parodies in shows like Ren and Stimpy ([22:07]).

Notable Quote: Ben Bowlin reflects on the Slinky's appeal, saying, “Richard was my father’s name. Called me Penis” ([10:27]).

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Post-it Notes: Persistence Leads to Practicality

Spencer Silver’s Adhesive Misstep In 1968, Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M, was attempting to create a super-strong adhesive for industrial use. Instead, he developed a "weak" adhesive that was reusable and left no residue, far from the powerful glue his bosses envisioned ([25:03]).

Finding Practical Use with Art Fry Art Fry, another 3M employee and member of a local church choir, struggled with keeping his hymnal pages in place during services. Drawing inspiration from Silver’s adhesive, Fry envisioned using the weak glue to create reusable bookmarks. This collaboration birthed the Post-it Note concept ([33:05]).

Naming and Marketing Initially, the notes were yellow by accident, as the original paper stock was intended for other purposes. The simple, catchy name "Post-it Note" was eventually adopted, capitalizing on the product’s stickiness and utility. The marketing strategy involved distributing free samples to businesses, leading to widespread adoption and popularity ([39:32]).

Cultural Phenomenon Post-it Notes evolved into a staple in offices worldwide, with their simple design fostering creativity and organization. They became synonymous with quick reminders and creative expression, even inspiring art forms dedicated to their use ([41:16]).

Notable Quote: Spencer Silver is quoted on postit.com saying, “I came to be known as Mr. Persistence” ([33:05]).

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Challenges and Triumphs of Accidental Inventions

Overcoming Initial Doubts Both the Slinky and Post-it Notes were met with skepticism initially. Richard James faced doubts about the Slinky's marketability, while Spencer Silver struggled with the practical application of his weak adhesive. Their persistence and innovative thinking transformed these "failures" into monumental successes.

Impact on Innovation The hosts emphasize that many groundbreaking products emerge from unintended discoveries. The Slinky and Post-it Notes exemplify how embracing accidents and persisting through challenges can lead to revolutionary inventions.

Notable Insight: Max Williams highlights, “Many groundbreaking innovations, theirs was a product nobody thought they needed until they did” ([41:39]).

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Conclusion and Future Topics

As the episode wraps up, the hosts tease future discussions on other accidental inventions like Velcro, promising deeper dives into their origins and impacts. They express gratitude to their listeners, acknowledging that the podcast’s continued success is thanks to their "ridiculous historians" community.

Notable Quote: Ben Bowlin concludes with enthusiasm, “This has been a fun little series, and I think it’s gonna be an ongoing one. Let’s make it so again, accidentally” ([46:17]).

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Acknowledgements

The hosts extend heartfelt thanks to their producer Max Williams, research associate Jeff Bartlett, and contributors like Rachel Lalensack from the Smithsonian for providing insightful articles on these inventions.

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Key Takeaways

1. Accidental Discoveries Can Lead to Iconic Products: Both the Slinky and Post-it Notes were not the products their inventors initially set out to create but became immensely popular due to their unique qualities.

2. Persistence is Crucial: Richard James and Spencer Silver exemplify how perseverance and creative thinking can turn setbacks into successes.

3. Cultural Impact of Simple Innovations: Simple, practical products like the Slinky and Post-it Notes can significantly influence culture and everyday life.

4. Collaboration Enhances Innovation: The partnership between Spencer Silver and Art Fry was instrumental in turning a laboratory mishap into a globally recognized product.

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Notable Quotes

• Ben Bowlin: “We ran out of articles and on the same, like the same, we recognized we were running low on research material that morning. And that afternoon we get the marching orders to continue the show forever” ([06:14]).

• Spencer Silver: “I came to be known as Mr. Persistence” ([33:05]).

• Max Williams: “Many groundbreaking innovations, theirs was a product nobody thought they needed until they did” ([41:39]).

• Ben Bowlin: “Let’s make it so again, accidentally” ([46:17]).

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This episode of Ridiculous History masterfully illustrates how some of the most beloved 20th-century inventions were born out of accidents and the inventive minds that turned these mishaps into lasting legacies. Through engaging storytelling and insightful discussions, hosts Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown celebrate the beauty and unpredictability of historical innovations.

Transcript

[Ben Bolan]

Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to the show, fellow ridiculous historians. Thank you as always so much for tuning in. Let's hear a shout out for the man, the myth, the legend, super producer, Mr. Max Williams.

[Noel Brown]

Hoorah.

[Ben Bolan]

I'm getting weirder and weirder on the way. We say Williams at the end. We'll accidentally invent a new name for Max at some point. You're Noel Brown. This is I. I'm Ben Bolan. We are continuing our series on accidental inventions throughout history with the help of our research associate, Jeff. And before we really start, as our pal Dylan would say, digging up the rutabagas, he would say that it's true. He does. He does at the weirdest times. No, you and I decided off air that we weren't just spinning tails and blowing smoke when we called ourselves an accidental invention. Before we get into proper accidental inventions in today's episode, we thought we would share with you guys an origin story of ridiculous history, which is itself an accidental invention.

[Max Williams]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.

[Jeff]

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[Max Williams]

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[Ben Bolan]

Here we go.

[Max Williams]

Steve's got a trunk full of groceries and no one to help him. Oh, that's tough. Jim. Looks like a five trip load at least.

[Ben Bolan]

He grabs the first bag the second bob. It looks like he's trying to do it all one trip.

[Max Williams]

He shimmies the door open, steps over the dog.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, and he stumbles.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, right into the kitchen without listen to beat Jim.

[Max Williams]

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[Max Williams]

Our world gets a little more connected, but a little further apart. But then there are moments that remind us to be more human. Thank you for calling Amica Insurance. Hey, I was just in an accident. Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of. At Ameca, we understand that looking out for each other isn't new or groundbreaking. It's human. Ameca empathy is our best policy and it is itself in a way, a very regular source that we use to this day for this show. You'll recall in the last episode we cited our alma mater, How Stuff Works, a couple of times. And we're going to do that again in this one. Originally, when Ben and I were working under the How Stuff Works website slash kind of podcast thing, we were asked by our boss to make a quick and dirty podcast that would help satisfy, like a momentary ad deal.

[Ben Bolan]

Six weeks. Six weeks, you guys. Six weeks. Just kill it.

[Max Williams]

And use the articles on the Housestuff Works website that were published under the moniker Ridiculous History. We can't claim credit for that one as your research material. And we're like, cool, we'll take one for the team. We'll do this. Boss talking about our beloved major Domo, Admiral Connell Byrne, who has just continued to rise in the world.

[Ben Bolan]

He's our own Tom Cruise and he's actually. It's weird. I used to be so pissed at him because I thought that a boss at a Jack Donaghy level had no right to be as cool as he is.

[Max Williams]

That's true.

[Ben Bolan]

He is cool. Super cool. He gave you a synth or a Moog or something.

[Max Williams]

He gave me Juno 106 from his band that he used to be in. Cause of course he has a band called Adam. And here's the kicker, he said it doesn't work, but I bet you could like fix it. And I had another one and I was gonna use it to scavenge for parts. Turns out I took it to my synth guy. Cause I have one. And he was like, oh, it's just wired for UK power.

[Ben Bolan]

Exactly.

[Max Williams]

All he had to do was like, do some very quick fix. And it was a pristine. It even came in the original case emblazoned with the stencil for his band.

[Ben Bolan]

And Atom, where science meets magic. Yeah, so Also, I can share one story with Conal. He and I have long had an ongoing discourse because he's a fantastic writer as well. We've had a long discourse about books. So we will chat with each other non related to work about just different books we like. And anyway, the final chapter of the Accidental Invention of Ridiculous History is we, as Noel said, took one for the team and then on maybe week five.

[Max Williams]

We ran out of articles.

[Ben Bolan]

We ran out of articles and on the same, like the same, we recognized we were running low on research material that morning. And that afternoon we get the marching orders to continue the show forever. And the only reason we're able to do that is Accidental Invention is thanks to you ridiculous historians.

[Max Williams]

You said it, Ben. No question. Thanks for hanging with us for lo these many years and for any new folks out there, welcome. And I don't know, we love doing this show and it is a great example of an accidental adventure that ended up working out. It's something that you and I do every single week. And we will until the wheels fall off, metaphorically, to use a car car stuff reference there. And huge thanks to Max and for being such a great producer. Super producer and part. And Star Trek nerd and Skyrim aficionado Curly network. We couldn't do it without you, buddy.

[Ben Bolan]

Cuddling correspondent.

[Max Williams]

That's right. That's true, cc.

[Noel Brown]

If you guys don't mind, can I jump real quick to illustrate how cool Connell is? Because a couple years ago at our Christmas party, which we had our holidays party we had at the Claremont rooftop, I remember Connell and I were just talking about he had met me. I met him in person for the first time just like a little bit before that. And he was just like, saw me watching them Hawks game. He's like, oh, you're a Hawks fan. He'd given me like three tickets, three of the iheart tickets. Like, hunted me down, found me, sent me the email.

[Max Williams]

Now he thinks of people.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, he'll do it.

[Max Williams]

Yes, he's a good dude.

[Ben Bolan]

He'll do it.

[Max Williams]

Everyone's got a good Connell story.

[Ben Bolan]

It's awesome.

[Noel Brown]

So after this was done, like, so after this, this is a few months later, we're up there and I'm breaking down the difference between a pick and roll and ISO and basketball with him and Sean Tyton, who, you know, who's in charge of the sports play. So I don't explain this stuff to him, but Cottle's like super engaged. He's like really loving this conversation. Like, man, this guy's actually like to your point, I'm like, I'm supposed to hate. I thought I was supposed to hate corporate overlords.

[Max Williams]

Well, Ben, you quote him all the time with his. What is it?

[Ben Bolan]

No, the world is both understandable and worth understanding.

[Max Williams]

Yep. And Connell is both interesting and interested.

[Ben Bolan]

And we know he probably doesn't listen to the show, so he's got a lot going on.

[Max Williams]

Bit on. I think he's like the head of the entire IR digital universe at this point.

[Ben Bolan]

The guys, we should just text him later, but we should. But look at us. We are an accidental invention. We are a little podcast train that could post being bitten by radioactive microphones. A joke. We're not letting go. We wanted to, with the help of our pal Jeff, explore some other accidental inventions. We talked about some world changing ones. Maybe we dip our toes or start walking up and down the stairs with a favorite toy of yesteryear. The sling.

[Max Williams]

Ah, yes, the Slinky. Spring. A spring. A marvelous thing. Everyone knows it's Slinky. It defined an era. You know, it was like the thingamajig that everyone had to have.

[Ben Bolan]

Did you have.

[Max Williams]

I certainly have had multiples. You know, now they're still around and there'll be like plastic ones made with different color gradients and, you know. But the original one was literally this kind of industrial metal coil.

[Ben Bolan]

Made your fingers smell weird. After you.

[Max Williams]

Yeah, like, I know. Well, we know about your feelings about handling metal. The Slinky would not have been a toy for young Ben in its original form.

[Ben Bolan]

What's that old line from Egon Spangler? I had a Slinky once as a child, but I straightened it.

[Max Williams]

That sounds like a far side panel, doesn't it? Like, oh my God. It's about linear thinking. Well, that's interesting that you say that, Ben, because while you might think that the Slinky came from the mind of some sort of Willy Wonka esque figure. No, not the truth. It came from somebody much in the best way. Spring. Like even During World War II, an engineer by the name of Richard James, which makes him only my second favorite. Richard James one upped only by Richard D. James of Aphex Twin.

[Ben Bolan]

That's right.

[Max Williams]

Incredible musician, technologist out there. Weirdos alive. If you haven't seen. Please do.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, he's always like. He's always like, please, Ben. Richard was my father's name. Called me Penis.

[Max Williams]

That's also a good joke about Richard versus Dick. Doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense as a nickname, as a shortening of Richard Never understood it. Never understood it, no. But this Richard James wanted to help the troops by inventing stable springs that could be used to bolster the technology within naval ships. It would help stabilize, I think, the ride on rough waters.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Because these are very sensitive instruments. Right then as now. And. All right, the story is our non aphex, Richard, is He's working on these springs, and he's saying, okay, look, I need to make sure that if the seas do not favor our boys at war, if the seas, they do royal. Right. Then we can still save the instruments via the miracle of coils. And. And while he is working on these springs, figuring out correct materials, tensile strength, and so on, he knocks one of the springs off the table. This is the accident. And when it is knocked off the table, it doesn't just kaplump. Lo and behold, this mysterious spring, this coil walks down the floor.

[Max Williams]

La boop, la boop, la boop. That's better, Ben. That's more clever.

[Ben Bolan]

No, I think these are great.

[Max Williams]

I was trying to make a real version of it. That's what that.

[Ben Bolan]

I don't know why. My version was French. Le boop. Labeoup. Leboop.

[Max Williams]

It's laboop. It does seem like a bit of a French invention. That's right. It's almost like, you know, the thing that the clown that you knock down and then it just sort of pops right back up. It's a buoy. Right. But then it's also a toy. This was a spring. I'm sorry. I totally said it wrong. Initially, I was saying, like, these were designed to help stabilize a ship. That's not. Nothing's gonna do that if you're on rough water. You're on rough water, but can help safeguard the delicate instruments that are so crucial to your ability to navigate and to, like, you know, shoot missiles and whatnot.

[Ben Bolan]

Super, super tough. Especially the surveillance instrumentation.

[Max Williams]

Shock absorption would be what this is going for. And it was real good at that. But it was also, I think, if I'm remembering the physics of it, it transfers energy, like, from. You know, it basically stores potential energy and sort of moves it from one stage to the next down, like a stair step or whatever. And that's.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, you nailed it. That's what stands out to Richie James, because not only does this thing walk its way down to the floor after he knocks it off the table, but then it recoils itself and assumes its original shape. It stands upright and look, this is another sort of Fleming Spencer thing.

[Max Williams]

Aha moment.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Yeah. Just so this guy could have said, my job is too tough. I keep dropping something.

[Max Williams]

This spring's walking away from me like a dick.

[Ben Bolan]

But instead, with his optimism, which he must have had, or perhaps with simply his feverish curiosity common to all inventors, he said, hang on, this might be fun. Oh yeah. Hang on a day. What if we could make this little hoppy boy? What if we can help make something of him? So he goes back home and he's married. He has a wife named Betty. And you know how it is when you're in a long term relationship and someone is super into their job and they this happens.

[Max Williams]

You're about tired of hearing about it.

[Ben Bolan]

Right? But this happens.

[Max Williams]

Yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

Let's be honest, this happens to you and me all the time. Dating folks and you know, Will, especially.

[Max Williams]

Strangers on the street, are tired of hearing about it, honestly.

[Ben Bolan]

Right. And so he goes and he tells his wife about the idea and she's probably doing that Internet meme of going, huh? Oh, wow, that's crazy. Okay, okay.

[Max Williams]

Really?

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, wow. Wow. Okay.

[Max Williams]

Yep. So. But you know what? No, she's into it. She's. She's supportive of old dick James. And in 1944, she decides to help him out by lending a clever name to this accidental invention.

[Ben Bolan]

This is the weirdest thing I did not. You know, we're etymology nerds. I had always assumed that Slinky was created specifically for this brand of toy. But Slinky is a real word meaning sleek and sinuous in movement or outline.

[Jeff]

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[Max Williams]

Every day our world gets a little more connected, but a little further apart. But then there are moments that remind us to be more human. Thank you for calling Amica Insurance. Hey, I was just in an accident. Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of At Ameca. We understand that looking out for each other other isn't new or groundbreaking. It's human. Amica Empathy is our best policy. People talk about a slinky dress, you know, or like slinking around like an old Tomcat. Right. I love the sinuous, sleek movement. Okay, how can we make this thing a little less sexualized? Okay, we'll just keep it it stark silver, and we'll call it the Slinky. Just don't look it up.

[Ben Bolan]

Right, right.

[Max Williams]

It's wildly inappropriate.

[Ben Bolan]

No one tell the kids. Exactly. So it comes to pass that they take out a loan. They get a $500 loan. In 1944, if we could inflation calculate.

[Max Williams]

A boob and a boop.

[Ben Bolan]

A boop. $500 in 1944 was only $9,085 in 20 cents, which is still, you know, in the world of big corporations, toy type, respectable.

[Max Williams]

I mean, come on, walk out the door for less than ten grand.

[Ben Bolan]

So they co found in a burst of humility, something they call James Industries in 1945, that very same year, the Slinky hit store shelves. At first, you know, there's what we call a learning curve for the market. Like, how is this a value proposition in the world of dolls and, you know, little action figures and toy cars? How can we convince people that this extremely nerdy, literal bundle of wire is a toy they should spend money on?

[Max Williams]

Oh, man. Exactly. You know, Ben, I actually had a pretty interesting encounter recently where. But there are some toy stores, specialty toy stores, as toy stores in general are less and less common. Like, you don't have KB Toys, and I think Toys R Us is completely out of business.

[Ben Bolan]

They are FAO Schwartz.

[Max Williams]

I think that's what I'm talking about, Ben. Thank you. That's exactly what I'm talking about. In New York City, there's still FAO Schwartz. And you might have seen some viral videos of this cute little kind of plush cafe where they're cooking with, like, plush toys and like plushie bacon and cats and it's very Japanese, but they have just a regular part of the toy store. And in that I once went walked in and they were doing these demonstrations of these. Like, they had this one thing where it could make a coin, like levitate. And it was probably using some sort of gyroscopic technology. But the thing about it is, the guy didn't tell you how it worked. You had to buy it. And then, like, see? But it was really cool. And I almost bought it. I was really taken by this. So this is exactly what they do. They decide, okay, people aren't quite wrapping their heads around this spring thing. We need to take this to the people and show them how it works and what an absolute hoot it is. Yeah, yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

This is where, you know, you're like Jesus doing demonstrations in the street. Right? There are 400 Slinkys stocked during the Christmas shopping season at Gimbel's department store in Philly. It's 1945, and in less than two hours after them essentially saying, look at this thing. After two hours, all of the Slinkies are sold. They were sold for a dollar apiece, and that's about 14 bucks each in today's value. We want to thank our friends over at the Smithsonian, specifically, Rachel Lalensack, for writing an excellent article, the accidental invention of the Slinky.

[Max Williams]

Yep. Yeah. No, it's true. And, Ben, we can't talk about the Slinky and its sort of impact on popular culture without talking about Log.

[Ben Bolan]

Ah, yeah. It's big, it's heavy, it's wood.

[Max Williams]

It's big, it's heavy, it's wood. What rolls downstairs alone or in pairs rolls over your neighbor's dog. What's great for a snack and fits on your back? It's log.

[Ben Bolan]

Log, log.

[Max Williams]

Now, Ren and Stimpy was created by a dude who's not good. He did some bad things, but that was part of our childhood. And that was a pretty damn good parody of Slinky because the theme song that it had the spring, spring and marvelous thing, they basically nail it. But, yeah, John K. Had some real issues with courting young women and not good. But. Sorry I had to mention it. Didn't mean to make it a bummer.

[Ben Bolan]

It was on everybody's mind. The log story, the log parody. We also know that when they were writing the Log parody, they may well have had a list of the original Slinky lyrics.

[Max Williams]

That's what I mean. It's like super, super spot on the.

[Ben Bolan]

Money, 100% down to the cadence. And they may have written those lyrics as reference points in their parody composition. They may have written those on Post it notes. Oh, Ben, another classic.

[Max Williams]

What have you done?

[Ben Bolan]

Invention. Stuff of genius. Look, man, do you ever use Post IT notes?

[Max Williams]

You know, I've said this, but I haven't said it on the show. But it does come up from time to time. I so rarely write with my hand anymore, I realize. And I know that's sort of like a statement about technology and whatever, but, like, everything I do is digital, and so I just. But I would. I maybe should, because I think there's something to be said. And scientifically speaking, there's definitely something to be said about writing things down and the connections that it makes with your brain and all of that. So I have. I Will say this, they are cool. For there are little ones you can get as dividers for chapter markers for like doing research and like books. And books. Can you imagine? Those are super cool. But I couldn't say I've used a proper post it in ages. But people use them to beat out stories in writers rooms all the time. You know, big important thing. Very, very cool. Then the stories neat. And the colors. It's just another one of these things like Tupperware that starts off as one thing and then becomes this like cultural phenomenon.

[Ben Bolan]

And we see the digital legacy of post its as well.

[Max Williams]

In the Notes app.

[Ben Bolan]

Right, Right.

[Max Williams]

On Mac.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And different collaborative sort of visual representations.

[Max Williams]

That's what it's called. Stickies in the Mac.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. So look, this is another accidental invention. It's 1968. There's a guy working for a giants company named 3M. This guy's name is super cool. Spencer Silver. It's his real name, not like his LA band name.

[Max Williams]

It's very, very cool. It's almost as good like polystyrene. That's right. We're talking about Spencer Silver working in the lab, slaving away, I believe as part of the department responsible for creating super strong adhesives, which is, you know, kind of three one of three M's stocks in trade. They're a chemical company and they make things like that, cleaners, you know, solvents and that's the thing. Exactly. And this is also early days where maybe a lot of that stuff was just running on out into the river in the water supply. And it took some doing to make him stop. But that's not Spencer's fault.

[Ben Bolan]

No, that's not on Spencer.

[Max Williams]

Yes. No, it's not, it's not.

[Ben Bolan]

He's. He's trying to. He is tasked with developing the world's best adhesive.

[Max Williams]

Yeah. Because he makes the world's weakest one. It's too good. It's too good.

[Ben Bolan]

It's crazy. His bosses are saying essentially, Spencer, we need you to invent a glue so strong that it can hold planes together in the air.

[Max Williams]

Right.

[Ben Bolan]

And he says right on. And then what does he do, Noel?

[Max Williams]

He makes the weakest adhesive of all time. But it's like I was saying, man, I'm sorry. I got excited. Just weak enough, right?

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah.

[Max Williams]

Like to hold up a single tiny piece of paper.

[Ben Bolan]

Just pressure sensitive too.

[Max Williams]

So if also true. Yes, yes, yes.

[Ben Bolan]

If you use this on a plane, then theoretically you could go up to the plane and push two of your fingers on it and the plane would just fall apart.

[Max Williams]

That's exactly right. However, there were implementations, of course, outside of this.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. For acrylate copolymer microspheres, his invention. And what he noticed is, okay, this is weak sauce, as the Internet would call it. But it is reusable weak sauce. And it doesn't.

[Max Williams]

It doesn't leave a trail.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. It doesn't leave messy residue. It's not strong. It's not permanent. It's like you were saying, Noel. Strong enough to hold together paper, but weak enough to allow even the most. Even the most wimpy of people to pull the they did it, they did it montage to the Olympics. Right?

[Max Williams]

Yeah. No, it's great. It's true. But once again, if I'm not mistaken, he doesn't immediately land on post it notes. It's another team effort. Right?

[Ben Bolan]

No. Yeah.

[Max Williams]

A lot of people, he's got the thing. He doesn't know what the hell to do with it. This is a weak thing. It gotta be something. But what?

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah. He's like, look, I found these.

[Max Williams]

I believe in the weakness of my product.

[Ben Bolan]

I believe in the weakness of a product. I found these unique traits for this material. And a lot of his colleagues and his bosses and people in other departments at 3M are like, wow, this guy sucks at making adhesive airplanes.

[Max Williams]

That's good.

[Jeff]

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[Max Williams]

Every day our world gets a little more connected, but a little further apart. But then there are moments that remind us to be more human. Thank you for calling Amica Insurance. Hey, I was just in an accident. Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of. At Ameca, we understand that looking out for each other other isn't new or groundbreaking. It's human. Amica Empathy is our best policy. It's sort of like talking about like a really bad superpower. And it's like you'd be better at thinking of an example but of like something that like who's isn't Squirrel Girl. That's like considered one of the weakest sauce superpower superheroes.

[Ben Bolan]

She can speak with squirrels. She's got a couple of. Of powers. Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

The Wonder Twins are the infamous one.

[Max Williams]

Wonder Twins also. But it's like, what do I do with this? You know, like, I've got this gift slash curse. What do I do with it?

[Ben Bolan]

Or in Dr. Horrible's blog that came out during COVID or during the writer strike. Excuse me. There was a guy whose superpower was that he's moist.

[Max Williams]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Or it's like that character in. I know he's. Maybe he was just for the spider verse movies that Jason Schwartzman voiced. He's just like a polka dot man or whatever. Or like he's like. He just creates random portals and he has no control over it, you know, so what do I do? He spends years spinning his wheels about this. Right. And he finally. He needs someone to take a little bit of an outside perspective.

[Ben Bolan]

Right.

[Max Williams]

That's really important with collaboration. Right?

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. Yeah. This is great for the story too. This comes from Silver's own interviews later. Like you were saying Noel for years. He's thinking, I've got something here. Okay. It's not gonna work to keep planes together.

[Max Williams]

It's not good exact. Exactly.

[Ben Bolan]

It's not good for what we were looking for. But it's reusable. It's residue free. He is going around to any. Literally any of his colleagues will listen to him and saying, hey, guys, help me with this. His own line. And he's quoted in post it.com saying this. He says, I came to be known as Mr. Persistence.

[Max Williams]

It's like a superhero name. That's his superpower is weak adhesive and persistent. Yes.

[Ben Bolan]

Is he? Yeah. Is he great? I don't know. Does he have super strength? No. Can he fly? No. What's his.

[Max Williams]

Shows up a lot. He really wants to stop talking about this weak adhesive.

[Ben Bolan]

Persist. At some point, we let him into the Avengers. But like you were saying, team Power. He hangs out with another 3M scientist, a guy named Art Fry. Again, real name. Real name, yeah. Yeah. And so Artfry is. In addition to being a scientist, he is a frustrated member of a local church choir.

[Max Williams]

That's right, he is. And he is really struggling, despite his scientific background and prowess, with a really basic problem. To mark the pages of the hymnal that they are using to kind of mark what songs they're going to sing that day. They're using little scraps of papers. But the problem is, gosh darn it. Every time he comes back the next Sunday, they're all over the floor like so much confetti.

[Ben Bolan]

Because the spirit moved you.

[Max Williams]

Well, clearly. But I mean, what do I do about. I don't know what page to go to to sing my religious hymns.

[Ben Bolan]

I love the made for TV version of this showdini. There's gotta be a better way.

[Max Williams]

If only I had help putting on my shoes, right?

[Ben Bolan]

Exactly. This salad won't spin itself.

[Max Williams]

Now, that being said, Ben, a salad spinner is helpful because it's essential effect that sucks the water out. And it does a better job than just drying it with a towel or a paper towel directly.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, I hear that.

[Max Williams]

It makes it crisper. I'm just saying I'm on team Salad Spinner here.

[Ben Bolan]

I hear you, man. I'd like it if it were multifunctional. I think we could take the idea.

[Max Williams]

It is the one thing that it does.

[Ben Bolan]

That's true. It's the one thing.

[Max Williams]

You could use it as a colander if you wanted to. Just.

[Ben Bolan]

That's a great part. Okay. It does two things. It could also just be a container.

[Max Williams]

It can. It does have a lid with a little hand crank on it.

[Ben Bolan]

You could just use it to store believing in people.

[Max Williams]

Believe in people, Believe in yourself, and then others. And the rest will follow. But what's going on with Mr. Persistent here? All right, and how did he and Mr. Fry sort of join forces?

[Ben Bolan]

Okay, so this is how persistent Silver is. This is why they call him Mr. Persistent. He holds seminars where he talks about how cool the opportunity of post it notes could be, even though they don't call it post it notes. And so Art Fry, frustrated member of the local church choir, but he thinks back and he has a flashback moment where he says, oh, yeah, who's that guy we call Mr. P? He loves the microspheres, you know. And this hits him, and he reaches out to Silver and they start working on this, and they say, look, we're going to develop something out of this. And they realize, Noel, that they're writing messages on these notes that have been laced with this adhesive. Laced to communicate around the office. And later you'll see interviews with Art Fry, who says, I thought what we have here isn't just a bookmark. It's a whole new way to communicate, which I think is a little ambitious.

[Max Williams]

A whole new way to be passive aggressive to your co workers on the. On the company fridge.

[Ben Bolan]

Right, right, right. To whomever keeps.

[Max Williams]

Yes.

[Ben Bolan]

Eating my Philly cheesesteak.

[Max Williams]

Oh, man, that's.

[Ben Bolan]

That Was actually very brave of you.

[Max Williams]

To bring one of those to work, Ben. I got it. I mean, I just mean like people are gonna, they're gonna come. You think so? I think so.

[Ben Bolan]

It's one guy.

[Max Williams]

It's a popular saying. Well, I mean I hope that you took care of that a whole new way.

[Ben Bolan]

It was Josh Clark.

[Max Williams]

He knows what he did. It's true.

[Ben Bolan]

So now they have to pitch it the post it note to their boss, which is.

[Max Williams]

That's the next stage by the way. This is just like the idea. It ain't. It doesn't have this brilliant, you know, zeitgeisty name yet.

[Ben Bolan]

Right.

[Max Williams]

Which is half of the product, if I'm being. If we're being honest.

[Ben Bolan]

That's a really good point, man.

[Max Williams]

I mean I think, I think it.

[Ben Bolan]

Is because if you. I mean like German companies have struggled with that sometimes. If a German company discovered the Slinky, would they have called it like Kinder Metal Coil?

[Max Williams]

Yes, exactly. They probably would have been. And it's not to say that like sticky paper is something that one could whole wholly like own. Right, right. You know what I mean? I think it's too general.

[Ben Bolan]

General.

[Max Williams]

Like how. How is it any different from taking a piece of. Did they have Scotch tape at this point? We should talk about that sometime. That was the Scotch company, right. That did like another chemical company.

[Noel Brown]

We actually did an episode on that one a couple years ago.

[Max Williams]

I thought we did too. I thought we did.

[Noel Brown]

How Scotch was a.

[Max Williams]

It was a dis.

[Ben Bolan]

It's an episode.

[Noel Brown]

It was a disappy tape was considered not very good like post.

[Max Williams]

I just got to wonder though what came first. The. The post it or the Scotch tape.

[Noel Brown]

I think Scotch came first.

[Max Williams]

I think it would have to because.

[Noel Brown]

To me isn't the Scotch was like early 20th century. This is mid to late.

[Max Williams]

I think that's true. But I think the thing about Scotch tape too is it also has sort of a weak residue list it turns out hold.

[Noel Brown]

That's a good thing because so many times you don't want to like tape something down that's super gluey because then you can.

[Max Williams]

That's exactly right. But what I'm saying is like it. They sort of already had something going that could have been, you know, co opted into something like this. But it was a lot of that had to do with the, the, the name and the brand which we're going.

[Ben Bolan]

To get in 1930s.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, 1930 by Richard Drew.

[Max Williams]

Right.

[Ben Bolan]

And this is something that 3M is aware of. They're aware of Scotch tape. They're not going to change the name just yet because they do think Scots are cheap people.

[Max Williams]

How'd the pitch meeting go with the 3M brass?

[Ben Bolan]

Oh boy. Yeah, that's a setup. Thank you, Noel. The company execs don't lie it until a lab manager named Jeff Nicholson spelled like our frontier research associate Jeff. He gets into it and he is radicalized. He says we're going to get this out on the market. We are going to. First off, we're going to do something really clever, says Jeff. We're not going to sell this immediately. We're going to make a bunch of it and then we're to going going to give it out to businesses and people around Boise, Idaho for free. So just like a drug dealer. But with post it notes it was.

[Max Williams]

Just, it was just the tiny Post its to start and then they had to graduate. I need more. I got to get the full size ones.

[Ben Bolan]

Now your first post is free, right? Exactly. And this is actually, this is funny. Jeff found this thanks to our alma matter how stuff works. Post its are like orthodox. Post it notes are yellow. Apparently that's an accident as well because when are making these free samples they just go to the lab literally next door and say hey, do you guys have a paper? And they say oh, we have pea colored stock here. And so after 90% of the people in Idaho reorder this stuff, they like the taste, right? So now they want more.

[Max Williams]

The whole fricking cow at this point.

[Ben Bolan]

Right?

[Max Williams]

Yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

So now they say okay, well dang. People are used to the urine colored like the pee papers. So we're just going to keep with the yellow paper.

[Max Williams]

Let's do it. It seems to be a hit. It was in fact an overnight success as they put it in the history of post it notes on postit.com it was always a self advertising product because customers would put the notes on documents they sent to others built in advertising, arousing the recipient's curiosity. It was very, a very arousing product. Slinky. Dare we say they would look at it, peel it off and play with it.

[Ben Bolan]

Just stick it on different stuff. You know what I mean? Where's this going?

[Max Williams]

Yeah, it is. And you know what? To this day people still f with post it notes when they're bored at the office.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh yeah. Post it note art is a real thing.

[Max Williams]

It really is. We haven't gotten into the cornucopia of colors that were to follow. You know, that became its own thing. Right now we're just with the One the P yellow. But that in and of itself is an absolute smash. Silver said like many groundbreaking innovations, theirs was a product nobody thought they needed until they did.

[Ben Bolan]

And we know what is on your mind now, fellow historians. Everybody, everybody right now is screaming, playing with their post its or muttering. Yeah, they're writing on their post it notes furiously. Why are furiously. Why aren't the guys talking about Velcro and George de Mistral?

[Max Williams]

You wanna know why? Because we took a little consultation conciliatory off mic break and discussed how Velcro in and of itself is an episode. Because it is not only an accidental invention, which again, we could lump in with Tupperware because that was a byproduct. Therefore, one could argue it was like a repurposing of an accidental thing that happened. But it's so incredibly important in manufacturing and military applications. If I'm not mistaken. Ben, we've talked about Velcro stuff, like on stuff they don't want you to know. Oh yeah, like it's. So we decided rather than shortchange you because we're also running a little low on time, we've got some travel coming up. We'd save it and give you a full Velcro episode. Coming right up.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes. And with that in mind, thank you as always, ridiculous historians for joining us. If you have some ideas for future.

[Max Williams]

Accidental inventions, picture inventions, we won't steal them, we promise.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. Pitcher inventions over.

[Max Williams]

We really won't. We mean that.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. We legally can't. On our Facebook page, ridiculous historians. Big thanks to Our super producer, Mr. Max Williams, and our research associate for this week's series, Jeff.

[Max Williams]

Jeff the G E O F F G. Jeff Bartlett.

[Ben Bolan]

G E O F F G. It's.

[Max Williams]

A great spelling of Jeff.

[Ben Bolan]

It is. It is. We. Do you ask people that when you.

[Max Williams]

Get a Jeff, do you say, is it J E F F or G E O F?

[Ben Bolan]

I always ask. I know you do. I ask for what? What are some Eric could be a C or a K. Oh, that's big for that demographic. They care about it. I remember talking to one of your close friends the first time I met him.

[Max Williams]

People ask me with or without the umlaut and then I punch and people.

[Ben Bolan]

Ask me, is that your real name? But by that point I've already ghosted. I'm past customs.

[Noel Brown]

It's true.

[Max Williams]

You threw down a smoke bomb and.

[Ben Bolan]

Like that threw down a smoke bomb. We also want to throw down a smoke bomb of thanks to.

[Max Williams]

Oh, man, I love that idea.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. To Alex Williams, our brother in Arms. Who composed this slap and bop? Who else?

[Max Williams]

Who else? Just speaking of a smoke bomb of thanks. It just makes me think back to. We recorded this morning the strange news segment of our Stuff They Don't Want yout Know podcast with our back buddy Matt. And prior to that, we did a really cool conversation with John Cameron Mitchell of Hedvig and the Angry Inch fame, who has a great podcast out called Cancellation Island. And he introduced us to a concept of, like, positive conspiracies.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, I'm glad he brought that up.

[Max Williams]

I think that's so cool. I can't remember the word.

[Ben Bolan]

You might. Pronoia. I did research on that a few years back and I. I didn't want to. I didn't want to slow the roll. But it's. It's really interesting because it comes from a guy named Dr. Goldner back in the early 1980s, and it's.

[Max Williams]

Can we say what it is real.

[Ben Bolan]

Quick in case this is Dr. Gold Goldner's words? Pronoia is the positive counterpart of paranoia, the delusion that others may think well of one. And I've mentioned that on stuff they were watching.

[Max Williams]

I know you have. Yeah. It was just. We do so many. I forget. But the way John put it in the context of our conversations with y' all, which y' all should check out, really hit me, and I just thought it was worth mentioning.

[Ben Bolan]

And also do check out John's newest podcast, Cancellation island, available wherever you find your favorite shows. While you're doing that, do check out the Puzzler by our one and only Bahamas AJ Bahamas Jacobs.

[Max Williams]

Yeah. And if you missed it, we had a great chat with him recently about ridiculous historical fashion fads. Very alliterative episode. And a lovely man.

[Ben Bolan]

And if you're ever like, the guys on Ridiculous History are just too nice to each other. And everybody else, check out our episodes featuring Jonathan Strickland, AKA the Quizzter, who has still yet to be prosecuted for as many war crimes.

[Max Williams]

Yes. Against humanity and podcast and dumb. Huge thanks to Alex Williams, who composed our theme, super producer Max Liebes. We haven't thanked you enough. We had a nice little love end at the top, but we do love you, Max. And a huge thanks to you to our research associate, Jeff Bartlett, again. And Ben, man, to you. This has been a fun little series, and I think it's gonna be an ongoing one.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, let's make it so again, accidentally.

[Max Williams]

We'll see you next time, folks. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Not everyone who handles your personal information is going to be as careful as you are, and it only takes one mistake to expose it to hackers and identity theft. Maybe that's why there's a new victim of identity theft every five seconds in the United States. Fortunately, there's LifeLock. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity if your identity is stolen. A LifeLock US based restoration specialist will help solve identity theft issues on your behalf, guaranteed or your money back. Plus, all LifeLock plans are backed by the million dollar protection package, meaning LifeLock will reimburse you up to the limits of your plan if you lose money due to identity theft. You can't control how diligent others are with your personal information, but with Lifelock you can help protect it. Act now and save up to 40% your first year year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off. Terms apply new out of Nowhere obstacles New all or nothing moments New Less than likely triumphs Season two of the Unshakables Podcast has it all. Hi, I'm Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and host of the show. We're excited to bring you more inspiring.

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Stories from small business owners who share.

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That ended up changing everything.

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Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Chase Mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply JP Morgan Chase bank and a member FDIC Copyright 2025 JPMorgan Chase & Co.

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