Most people take it for granted that Band-Aids have always been around. However, they are actually an invention of the early 20th century. Band-Aids were invented out of necessity by a loving husband for his accident prone wife. And, as they say, the rest is history.
When Were Band-Aids Invented.
Band-Aids were invented in 1920 by an employee of Johnson & Johnson, a company that manufactured gauze and adhesive tape. Earle Dickson, a cotton buyer for the company, had married a very accident prone young woman named Josephine.
Why Band-Aids Were Invented
Each night Earle came home, and he found that Josephine had numerous cuts on her hands and arms. In a show of true concern for his wife, he took adhesive tape and gauze. With this, he created temporary strips of bandages for his wife to use.
How the Bandage Strips Evolved
Earle cut the adhesive tape in half. He then cut each half into small strips. He placed a small square of gauze in the center of a strip and covered the gauze with a slightly larger square of crinoline. He prepared a number of these 'bandage strips' for Josephine to use each day.
Commercial Beginnings of Band-Aids
Soon, word of his bandage strips and there ease of use reached the ears of James Johnson, Earle's boss. James took Earle's idea and began selling the 'bandage strips' in 1920. For Earle's invention, he was made Vice-President at Johnson & Johnson.
Early Sales of Band-Aids
The bandage strips were a slow seller at first. As a publicity stunt aimed at increasing sales, Johnson & Johnson gave free samples of the product to Boy Scout troops throughout the country. The publicity stunt worked. In 1924, machines were installed at the company to increase production of the new product, aptly renamed Band-Aid.
Popularity of Band-Aids
Since its first production date in 1921, over 100 billion Band-Aids have been sold. Nearly every family in America has Band-Aids in their home.
Tags: adhesive tape, bandage strips, Johnson Johnson, accident prone, Band-Aids have, Band-Aids were invented, publicity stunt