3M: The Company That Started With the Wrong Rock and Ended Up in Every Toolbox on Earth

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company was founded on June 13, 1902, in Two Harbors, Minnesota, by five men — a lawyer, a doctor, two railroad executives, and a butcher — to mine corundum for grinding wheels. The mineral deposit turned out to be worthless anorthosite. The company nearly collapsed before it sold a single usable product. Instead of closing, 3M pivoted to manufacturing sandpaper, then masking tape, then transparent tape, then adhesives, abrasives, reflective materials, electrical tape, body filler, respirators, and thousands of other products. Today 3M produces over 60,000 products, operates in more than 70 countries, holds over 100,000 patents, and generates nearly $25 billion in annual revenue. This is the full story — from the failed mine on the north shore of Lake Superior to the company that put something in every toolbox, every workshop, every garage, and every office on earth. Topics covered: 3M history, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, 3M founding, Two Harbors Minnesota, corundum mining, sandpaper history, William McKnight, Richard Drew, masking tape invention, Scotch tape history, 15 percent rule, 3M innovation culture, Post-it Notes invention, Spencer Silver, Art Fry, Wetordry sandpaper, electrical tape, Scotchlite reflective sheeting, Scotch-Brite, Scotchgard, Bondo body filler, Cubitron II abrasives, Trizact, 3M Peltor, Command strips, 3M respirators, 3M PFAS settlement, Solventum spinoff, American manufacturing history #3M #MinnesotaMiningAndManufacturing #ScotchTape #PostItNotes #MaskingTape #Sandpaper #3MHistory #WilliamMcKnight #RichardDrew #AmericanManufacturing #Bondo #ScotchBrite #Scotchgard #CubitronII #3MPeltor #CommandStrips #ElectricalTape #DIY #Workshop #ToolHistory #CorporateHistory #Innovation #MadeInAmerica #TwoHarborsMinnesota #Manufacturing #TradeHistory