Every January 31st is observed as Scotch Tape Day. This holiday celebrates the brand-name pressure-sensitive tapes manufactured by 3M, which have been used for wrapping packages and for use around the home for over 92 years.

This type of tape is most notably heavily used by many people during the Christmas holiday, so at this point in the year, most people will have a pretty good stockpile of it to use for celebrating this unofficial holiday.

How do you celebrate a holiday dedicated to one of the most boring, yet reliable, household items in the world? Let’s find out together, shall we?

The History of Scotch Tape Day

Richard Drew, a 3M engineer, invented a sticky, transparent tape in 1930. This tape was made with cellophane. Two years later, he would build the tape dispenser that is now commonly used with this type of tape.

During the Great Depression, this tape became extremely popular as a cheap way to mend curtains, clothing, books, and other household items so that people didn’t have to buy new stuff.

Scotch tape might be a household product that everyone knows about, but we’re going to venture out on a limb and say that Scotch Tape Day isn’t a holiday that most people know about.

That’s okay because there isn’t a whole lot of information on the Internet about it either. Although we tried to find the origins of this holiday or who invented it, we simply couldn’t find those two things. That means that the origins of this holiday will continue to remain a mystery, at least for a while.

Some Quick Facts About Scotch Tape

Okay, now we’re going to take a few moments to talk about Scotch tape. We’ve collected a few facts about this tape and decided to list some of them below for everyone’s entertainment. So grab a roll of Scotch tape and follow along with us as we go through the following list.

• Scotch tape was first used to mend torn currency by banks during the Great Depression.
• During WWII, Scotch tape was sold exclusively to the U.S. military, and consumers couldn’t buy it.
• Scotch tape is the best-selling tape in the world. It can be found just about everywhere in the U.S.

Observing Scotch Tape Day

How many fun things can you do with Scotch tape? We’re not sure, but we know that we’re going to find out. We’re going to make art with it, create decorations, and maybe even mend a few of our books that have seen better days. We’re also going to use the hashtag #ScotchTapeDay on our social media feed to spread the word about this holiday.