"Tape is wonderful at preserving evidence... especially on the sticky side."
Michael Baden, forensic pathologist
The earliest reference to a sticking tape goes right back to 1676, when lute makers used small pieces of paper with glue on to hold pieces in place while they built instruments. By the early twentieth century, much progress had been made in the area of surgical tape for bandages and plasters, but it was not until the 1930s that what we know as sticky tape appeared.
Bakers, grocers, and meat packers in the 1920s had started using cellophane to wrap their products. Unfortunately there was no way to seal it and prevent moisture getting in and spoiling the food. To solve this problem they turned to 3M, and 3M turned to engineer Richard Drew (1899-1980), the man behind the invention of masking tape. In 1930, after more than a year of work, Drew and his team produced cellulose tape. It was made from four layers: first the sticky part, then a primer to hold the sticky part to the cellulose, next a layer of cellulose or any other flexible backing, and finally a layer called the release coat, which stopped the tape sticking to itself when rolled up. Shortly after the tape's invention, another company figured out a way to seal the cellophane by heating it.
Things were looking bad for cellulose tape, but other manufacturers found out about the tape and started using it to seal different types of packages. Soon the public discovered it as well and the tape found uses that Drew had never imagined.
