Ever wondered how adhesive tapes were discovered! How were they made? Or how the need for a tape arose?
We’ll revive here the sticky history of the adhesive tape’s invention which interestingly started with a tree sap, beeswax and resin in ancient Egypt.
It all started in 1845, nearly 180 years ago, the year when adhesive tapes were discovered. A Surgeon named Dr. Horace Day invented Surgical Tape using a rubber based adhesive on fabric strips. In 1921, Day modified the same tape by attaching a piece of gauze to the old cloth-backed tape and smeared it with crinoline for better hold and grip.
In 1925, Richard Drew invented the world’s first masking tape as a solution for a two-color paint job on automobiles. Drew also invented cellulose tape later on in 1930. During World War II, in 1942, Duct tape was invented by Johnson and Johnson and used as a waterproof seal for packaging ammunition.
In 1946, the first electrical or PVC tape was invented by Snell, Oace and Eastwold of 3M with a plasticizer system and rubber adhesive. The long-lasting, super-sticky floor tape was discovered soon afterwards along with other tapes.
Before Tapes, epoxies and glues would do most of the work which soon started to have significant drawbacks and then Adhesive tape was discovered. The sticky history of adhesive tapes have made several inventions possible over the years and it is currently expected to hit the $80 Billion mark by the year 2025.