Our stories

In honor of National Inventors Day, we’re celebrating just a few of the countless innovations the company has pioneered over the years—staples that are now ubiquitous in households and hospitals alike.

From its beginnings in 1894, the Johnson’s® baby line has helped little ones get a healthier, happier start in life with innovative products and baby care solutions—and it’s continuing the tradition by welcoming some exciting new additions to the family.

For Women’s Equality Day, learn how the world’s largest and most broadly based healthcare company has been empowering female employees, scientists and leaders—and improving the well-being of mothers around the world—since its founding 137 years ago.

A packaging innovation, the tank suture package consisted of a glass container with three individual glass spools of sterile sutures inside, with each spool of sutures designed to be drawn out through a rubber stopper. Each glass tank container was packed in an individual outer box like the one shown here.

Early in Johnson & Johnson history, the company’s products were shipped worldwide in sturdy wooden shipping crates with hand stenciled lettering. This 1916 Johnson & Johnson shipping crate was repurposed as a storage chest, thus preserving a rare type of artifact, since wooden shipping crates were frequently broken up and used as kindling once they had reached their destination.

This 19th century analytical balance belonged to Fred Kilmer, Johnson & Johnson’s scientific director from 1889 to 1932. Kilmer, a pharmacist and pharmaceutical chemist, used this balance in the company’s laboratories during the course of his career. The drawer at the front held weights used to measure the mass of small samples with great precision, and the glass enclosure ensured that air currents would not interfere with the measuring process.

Along with his second wife, Evangeline, and his children, Robert Wood Johnson lived in a stunning Victorian mansion in New Brunswick called Gray Terrace. The house included a large library, greenhouses, and gardens. Its close proximity to Johnson & Johnson ensured Johnson could walk to work each day. The house was later sold to Rutgers University and was home to a fraternity. Though once a city landmark, the mansion fell into disrepair and was eventually torn down.