1950s - 70s Electrical Tape

1950s - 70s Electrical Tape

Some more treasures from the tape cubby. Utilitarian pieces with big history.

3Ms? AND BIG MISTAKES
"Started as a small-scale mining venture in Northern Minnesota, then named Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company."

"When 3M began in 1902, our five founders had a simple goal: to mine for corundum, a mineral ideal for making sandpaper and grinding wheels. Turns out, what they thought was corundum was really another low-grade mineral called anorthosite."

What could've become the end of their business, started a whole new venture. They turned to other materials and slowly built new products and made small sales until they succeeded

WHAT IS ELECTRICAL TAPE?
Electrical tape is simply another form of insulation.

1925 - WHO THE SCOTCH DID THIS?
In the 1920s & 30s, "Scotch" was a slang term meaning..sparing in the expenditure of money.

FUN FACT - Richard Drew paid for his education by playing the banjo!

"The brand name Scotch came about around 1925 while Richard Drew was testing his first masking tape to determine how much adhesive he needed to add. The bodyshop painter became frustrated with the sample masking tape and exclaimed, "Take this tape back to those Scotch bosses of yours and tell them to put more adhesive on it!" The name was soon applied to the entire line of 3M tapes."

OKONITE COMPANY
"The Okonite Company was founded in 1878 making it one of the original insulators of electrical wire and cable in the United States."

Earliest customers included F.B. Morse for his telegraph wires and Thomas Edison for his power station.

Their products have been used in the building of railroads, the Puget Sound Cable, the Washington Monument, The Statue of Liberty and many more.

Quantum Inc
Incorporation Date: 28 February 1952

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