The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape

[LiberalArkie]

http://priceonomics.com/the-man-who-invented-scotch-tape/


On a surface level, Scotch tape may seem like just about the most boring product in the world. Though it can be found in nearly 90% of American households and is used for everything from wrapping gifts to “repairing” ripped dollar bills, we'll forgive you for never being curious about its origins. But stick with us: this gets interesting!

The story of Scotch tape is one of incredible determination and risk-taking -- and its invention was thanks to a banjo-playing, college-dropout, “misfit” engineer who believed in his ability to invent.

He ended up not just pioneering Scotch transparent tape and masking tape, but revolutionizing the way that his company, 3M, treated creative people.

<snip>

His boss, William McKnight, the same man who’d initially ordered Drew to cease his inventing efforts, still didn’t see the potential in this new tape, and refused to purchase a machine that would allow for its mass production. Instead of acquiescing, Drew got creative: as a researcher, he had the right to secure purchases of up to $100, so he bought the machine in parts in a series of $99 orders, then constructed it himself. When Drew’s boss later found out what Drew he’d been up to, he rewarded him for his tenacity by establishing a new managerial mandate at 3M: “If you have the right person on the right project, and they are absolutely dedicated to finding a solution – leave them alone. Tolerate their initiative and trust them.”

<Snip>

note: this is a very good read

[niyad]

1. very interesting. thank you for posting.

[Octafish]

2. Thank you, LiberalArkie!

Great story and, as a person who worked a couple of holiday breaks in an auto-body shop as a youth can attest, worth knowing. Persistence.

[underpants]

3. I love playing with tape

My wife cracks up at my tape obsession thanks for the post.

[etherealtruth]

4. this is well worth taking the time to read! Thank you!

[vanlassie]

5. Inspiring.

Kick and Rec

[jwirr]

6. I worked with the people who created the museum in Two Harbors MN that tells the story of the

way that 3M was started. Interesting company with many really useful products.

[logosoco]

7. That was a very good read!

Amazing what people can come up with when they are given free reign and encouragement! And money wasn't even the end game!

[Omaha Steve]

8. K&R!

[hootinholler]

9. Even though it was named in a steroetype of the Scottish

It's still a cool story.

[marble falls]

10. "Very good read"? Understatement - wonderful read!

[erronis]

11. And don't forget that Scotch Tape is in the forefront of nano-technologies

Amazingly researchers have found that one of the best ways to get single-layer graphene (one atom thick) was to stick this stuff on a block of pure carbon graphite and win the Nobel Prize.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-graphene-story-how-andrei-geim-and-kostya-novoselov-hit-on-a-scientific-breakthrough-that-changed-the-world-by-playing-with-sticky-tape-8539743.html

The generic name "transparent tape" is ubiquitous, but I find myself using duct-tape and binder clips a lot more around the house.

[longship]

12. Yup! Montgomery Scotch.

Ay! Matey!

[zappaman]

13. I miss the scotch tape store!

[Bonobo]

19. You beat me to it! nt

[ErikJ]

14. Good article but needs editing "..... what Drew he’d been up to" " same man who’d initially"

Post-it notes were huge too.

[grahamhgreen]

15. Robert Reich mentions one of the guys heirs in one of his books as an example of what's wrong with

our system.

[NaturalHigh]

16. Cool story.

Thanks for posting.

[Buns_of_Fire]

17. Early in my career, I occasionally had bosses like McKnight and Drew.

Happiest times in my working life. More got done, too.

Then came along the professional beancounters, and their type eventually left or were fired.

Today, if you attempt the tenacity and freedom-to-make-mistakes that they enjoyed, you're much more likely to get fired than promoted. Sad.

[LiberalArkie]

18. Or you get the "That is not how we do things here" No wonder we are not on Mars yet. We should have

been.