(Photo by Jean-Etienne Poirrier) The next time you need to mend a ripped paper or wrap a gift, offer a little thanks to Richard Drew, the father of adhesive tape. Drew's contributions to the field of adhesives came when he was working for what was then known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company -- a corporation known nowadays as 3M. Back in the early 1920s, 3M manufactured only sandpaper, but when Drew visited a local auto body shop in 1923, he noticed the painters having a problem: they weren't able to create clean dividing lines while painting two-tone cars. It took two years to get it right, but Drew's simple yet revolutionary idea -- adding adhesive to paper -- eventually solved the problem. Five years later, in 1930, Drew created a clear, waterproof, cellulose product to which adhesive could be added, and Scotch Tape was born. Drew's simple idea has become one of the most popular -- and most used -- products ever invented. Over the years, 3M has rolled out tape for all types of uses. The 400+ varieties can be found in desks, kitchen drawers, and garages throughout the land. Most folks use it to wrap presents or fix torn pages, but some artists have gotten really creative. Sure, Richard Drew dreamed up the idea for tape, but we bet he never imagined that someone would make a giraffe out of the stuff. Suggested Sites... 3M Scotch Tape - fixing the world with tape. Inventors: Richard Drew - the man who started it all. The History of Scotch Tape - background and history for the little tape that could. 75 Uses for Scotch Tape - try them all. MIT Lemelson Program - celebrating innovation.

Directory categories: Inventors, Inventions, Patents, Industrial Design, Adhesives

Archived under: History, Invention, Science, Scotch Tape, Technology

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