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      collection of original BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages product packaging

      Stick With It: 18 Fun Facts About the History of BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages

      They’re such a staple of everyday life that it’s hard to imagine they weren’t always around. We trace the iconic product’s backstory—including a trip to the moon!

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      Baseball, apple pie, BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages. There’s no doubt about it: They’re an indelible part of our culture.

      Most of us grew up using them—whether it was to patch up a scraped knee or tend to a paper cut—and you can probably still picture those iconic tins sitting in your family’s medicine cabinet. “The BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandage was a very simple innovation, but it filled a great unmet need in consumer care,” says Margaret Gurowitz, Chief Historian at Johnson & Johnson.

      And ever since their invention 97 years ago, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. has remained a pioneer in the field, consistently innovating improvements to the product—like the new BAND-AID® Brand Skin-Flex™ adhesive bandages that stay on for 24 hours, and are made with touch screen-friendly material.

      Here’s a look at some of the most memorable moments from the product’s history that helped make the company a global leader when it comes to taking care of all sorts of boo-boos.
      • bees on honeycomb
        1500 BC

        Ancient Egyptians used honey to protect wounds

        To help prevent infections, honey was placed on cuts to serve as an antibiotic barrier.
      • illustration of Hippocrates
        460 BC

        Greek physician Hippocrates washed wounds with vinegar

        After irrigating the affected area, he then wrapped the wound with fig leaves to prevent future injury or infection.
      • saffron on spoon
        First century AD

        Roman physicians used lead, silver and spice ointments to protect injuries

        Spices with antiseptic qualities that were used included saffron, thyme and mint. But these advances fell out of favor following the fall of the Roman Empire in the late fourth century, when many innovations were lost to the Dark Ages.
      • image of Sir Joseph Lister
        Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson Archives
        1860s

        Surgical gauze received an antiseptic upgrade

        Physician Joseph Lister began treating his surgical gauze with carbolic acid, or phenol, a disinfectant. He reportedly got the idea from observing the use of carbolic acid to treat sewage stench.
      • Johnson & Johnson employee in 1892 packing sterile gauze
        A highly skilled Johnson & Johnson employee in 1892 demonstrates the Company’s method of packing sterile gauze into hermetically sealable jars. From our archives.
        Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson Archives
        1887

        Johnson & Johnson started producing gauze

        Robert Wood Johnson joined forces with his brothers James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson to create Johnson & Johnson in 1886. Inspired by Lister, some of the first products they sold were mass-produced sterile dressings and gauze—precursors to the modern BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandage.
      • first-aid kit from early 20th century
        Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson Archives
        1888

        Johnson & Johnson debuted the first commercial first aid kits

        The kits—packed with sterile gauze, bandages and dressings—were originally designed to help injured railroad workers, but they were soon sold to the general public.
      • Earle Dickson, inventor of BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages
        Image courtesy of Johnson & Johnson Archives
        1920

        Earle Dickson, a cotton buyer, invented the BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandage

        “Dickson was newly married, and his wife Josephine was prone to slicing her fingers in the kitchen,” explains Gurowitz.

        Dickson wanted a bandage his wife could easily apply herself, so he took two of the company’s early products—adhesive tape and gauze—and combined them by laying out a long piece of surgical tape, and then placing a strip of gauze down the middle. To keep the adhesive from sticking, he covered it with crinoline fabric. His wife could then dress her own wounds by cutting a piece of the tape and gauze pad, and fashioning it into a bandage.

        Dickson demonstrated the invention to his boss, who told company president James Wood Johnson, and a new product was born.
      • BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandage box from 1921
        BAND-AID Box 1921
        Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson Archives
        1921

        BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages hit the market

        The first BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages were made by hand, measuring 3 inches wide and 18 inches long.

        “They weren’t a big hit at first—only $3,000 worth were sold the first year—because people weren’t sure how to use them,” Gurowitz says. But sales increased after the company hired traveling salesmen to demonstrate the newfangled product to doctors, butchers and retail pharmacists.
      • red string BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandage
        1924

        Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. invented machines to mass-produce bandages

        These machines mass-produced BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages that were just 3 inches long and three-quarters of an inch wide—and didn’t require scissors to cut them.

        Around the same time, the little red string used to open the BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandage wrapper was introduced, making the product much easier to open.
      • BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandage tin from 1926
        Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson Archives
        1926

        Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. debuted its iconic tin packaging

        The decorated tins were an upgrade to the cardboard boxes that had been used until that point.

        “And once the tin was empty, people reused it in different ways: storing small nails, holding extra buttons and safety pins, even organizing marbles and baseball cards,” Gurowitz says, adding that one of the most famous tins, from the early 1960s, featured an illustration of a woman in a sweater and pearls.
      • 1943 advert for BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages' support for WWII war effort
        Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson Archives
        1942

        BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages supported the war effort

        During World War II, millions of BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages were shipped overseas to the front lines, including packaged in soldiers’ first aid kits.
      • Doctor Dan children's poster for BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages
        Image courtesy of Johnson & Johnson Archives
        1950

        Little Golden Books published Doctor Dan The Bandage Man

        The story is about a little boy who scratches his finger while playing. He runs to his mom, who washes it clean and bandages his finger good as new with a BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandage. For the rest of the book, every time a friend, family member, pet or favorite toy gets a boo-boo, Dan puts a bandage on it to make it better.

        Doctor Dan’s first printing of 1.75 million copies is the largest first printing of any Little Golden Book to date.
      • Stars & Strips tin of BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages
        Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson Archives
        1956

        BAND-AID® Brand Stars ‘n Strips adhesive bandages hit the market

        They were the first mass-marketed, decorated BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages—and became an instant hit.

        “These were really kid-friendly designs, with bright primary colors,” Gurowitz says. “And the era of children using the adhesive bandages as stickers officially began. It wasn’t enough to just cover up your cut—you had to have an adhesive bandage with a theme or characters.”
      • lunar eclipse
        1968

        Bandages reached the moon

        BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages were part of the medical kit that orbited the moon during the Apollo 8 mission. One year later, they were part of the Apollo 11 mission, which landed the first man on the moon.
      • box of antibiotic BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages
        1997

        BAND-AID® Brand Antibiotic adhesive bandages were introduced

        They were the first-ever adhesive bandage to feature specially formulated antibiotic ointment right on the pad to help prevent infection and protect from dirt and germs.
      • box of liquid BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages
        2002

        Johnson & Johnson debuted BAND-AID® Brand Liquid Bandages

        The cutting-edge liquid bandage contained a proprietary mix of chemicals that formed a layer of molecules that bound to skin, keeping dirt and germs out, and moisture in. As a result, the wound healed faster than if left uncovered.
      • box of Quiltvent BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages from 2012
        2012

        Bandages were introduced with quilted padding

        Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. unveiled its new BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandage with Quiltvent™ Technology.

        “The padding is literally quilted, which helps wick blood away from the wound, creating air channels that protect the wound, while still letting it breathe,” explains Melinda Cettina, Director of Global Wound Care Research & Development at Johnson & Johnson.
      • box of Skin-Flex BAND-AID® Brand adhesive bandages from 2017
        2017

        The BAND-AID® Brand Skin-Flex line launches

        Designed to move like a second skin, these bandages provide 24-hour hold, last through hand washes, dry almost immediately, and are made with touch screen-friendly material.

        “The idea behind Skin-Flex™ is that your bandage should be as transparent to your life as possible—you should be able to get back to your daily activities without feeling like you have an injury,” Cettina says.

      When You’ve Been Innovating for Over 135 Years …

      Johnson & Johnson has a virtual museum where you can learn more fun facts about its rich history.

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