It could be a sticky situation on May 27th as we recognize National Cellophane Tape Day. It is hard to imagine where we would be without this invention. How would we wrap our Christmas and birthday gifts?
This everyday household and office item is also known as invisible tape or Scotch Tape.
- 1908 – Swiss chemist Jacques E. Brandenberger creates a thin, transparent, regenerated cellulose film he calls “cellophane,” originally to make spill‑proof tablecloths but soon used for food wrapping.
- 1925 – Richard Gurley Drew starts marketing masking tape under the name Scotch Masking Tape.
- 1930 – Richard Gurley Drew invented invisible tape. He created the tape from cellulose and originally called it cellulose tape.
- It was invented for military purposes. Before the invention of adhesive tape, boxes containing cartridges sent to military bases were sealed with wax.
- 1932: Scotch® Brand introduces the first heavy-duty, countertop tape dispenser. It’s made from cast iron and weighs almost 7 pounds.
- 1932 – John A Borden, another 3M engineer, invented the first tape dispenser with a built-in cutter blade in 1932. Scotch Brand Magic Transparent Tape was invented in 1961, an almost invisible tape that never discolored and could be written on.
- 1939: Scotch® Brand welcomes the “snail,” its iconic, handheld tape dispenser. The first version is made from stamped sheet metal, and a molded plastic model is added one year later.
- 1941 – 1945: During World War II, almost all tape production was diverted to the war effort. 3M develops and manufactures more than 100 different types of tape to help solve war production problems, such as sealing, identifying parts, holding materials, protecting, and insulating. Scotch® Double-Sided Tape, coated with adhesive on both sides, joins the transparent tape family during this time.
- 1953 – Soviet scientists showed that triboluminescence from peeling a roll of an unidentified Scotch-brand tape in a vacuum can produce X-rays. I
- 1961: 3M invents Scotch® Magic™ Tape. The innovative matte-finish tape is virtually invisible on light-colored paper and envelopes. Unlike glossy tapes, they can be written on with a pen, pencil or marker. At about the same time, Scotch® Cellophane Tape is renamed Transparent Tape.
- 2005 – The town of Avon, Ohio, has hosted the annual adhesive tape festival. There you can take part in a parade, fashion show, see sculptures and just have fun.
- 2008 – American scientists conducted an experiment showing that the rays can be strong enough to leave an X-ray image of a finger on photographic paper.
- 2013: Scotch® Brand designers also reimagined the iconic “snail” dispenser for the first time in 60 years. The new dispenser features a modernized, sophisticated shape that conforms to the hand, improving comfort and ease of use.
- It helped save the team of “Apollo 13”. After the explosion of the service module on board the ship “Apollo 13” three crew members were subjected to mortal danger. NASA engineers decided to save the crew from the rapidly spreading carbon dioxide inside the ship by using a non-standard procedure.
- From cardboard, plastic bags, and tape, a spacesuit was built that served as a carbon dioxide filter. This decision ultimately saved the lives of astronauts. Since then, adhesive tape has become an indispensable aid in force majeure situations during space expeditions.
- Ornithologists have used Scotch Tape to cover cracks in the soft shells of fertilized pigeon eggs, allowing the eggs to hatch.
- During the Depression, banks first used Scotch Tape to mend torn currency
- Manufactured during WWII, duct tape was originally called ‘duck tape’ by soldiers because it repelled moisture, like “water off a duck’s back.”
- Scotch Tape has been used as an anti-corrosive shield on the Goodyear Blimp.
- Today, there are more than 400 types of tape, including packaging, electrical, transparent, and label tape.
Sources
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