Kentucky is and has been home to many famous products, foods, people, and places over the years. Some of these, Kentucky Fried Chicken for example, are well known and have obvious ties to the Bluegrass State, while others tend to fly under the radar. One product that we all know and love and that is mostly made right here in Kentucky is the Post-It Note. With a plant in Cynthiana, America's favorite way to write down reminders is made in Kentucky and will forever be "stuck" in our history books.
The story of the easily recognizable post-it note is quite fascinating because it really came to be on accident.
A scientist with the company 3M had developed an adhesive that could temporarily stick something together, but he couldn't think of an immediate use for it.
The eureka moment came when another 3M scientist became frustrated because all of the slips of paper he stuck in his hymnal to mark pages would fall out.
You can see where this is going. The two scientists joined invention with an idea and the post-it note was born.
After a successful test run, the post-it note debuted in stores in 1980.
And where were these sticky pads of paper made? Yep, right here in Kentucky. In fact, they were made in the small town of Cynthiana and are still made in the plant there today.
Most think of the iconic yellow color of the post-it note, which was also an accident as it was the only scrap color available at the time.
But you can now get post-it notes in a variety of colors and sizes, with lines or without.
The uses of the post-it note are endless and go way behind the humble suggested beginnings as a bookmark.
Of course, most people love to use these as reminders, page markers, or for note-taking, but they really allow your imagination and creativity to run wild.
And there is something about a post-it note that just makes you smile.
And it makes us smile even more knowing that almost all of the post-notes in the world are made in Kentucky.
Chances are you have a post-it note (or several) stuck around your house right now, but did you know it was made in Kentucky? These sticky pieces of paper continue to be a favorite product in America and around the world and much of that success can be given to the hard workers of the Bluegrass State. Did you know this interesting fact about Kentucky? What other products do you know of that are made in Kentucky? Let us know in the comments!
And for a complete history of the post-it note, check out this 3M website.
For more fascinating things that have ties to Kentucky, check out these 15 well known and lesser-known items from a previous article.
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