There are so many great uses for 3M Tape, with its strong adhesive properties.
Before 3M introduced adhesive tape in 1925, the primary means of adhesion were pretty permanent and very messy
Masking tape, that 1925 creation, was intended to solve a very specific problem: applying two-toned paint jobs to cars, which were popular at the time.
Before masking tape, auto shops were "masking off" for each color application using glue and paper. Peeling off the paper ruined countless paint jobs. Richard Drew, a young 3M research assistant, witnessed one such ruined job and the furious cursing that followed. Drew, who had absolutely zero experience in adhesives, decided, apparently on the spot, to create an adhesive that could be removed from dry paint without peeling it off. Two years later, masking tape was introduced.
He next invented clear, cellophane tape, later called Scotch® Magic Tape. Gift-wrapping would never be the same.