An Everyday Problem Solved with Ingenuity

In 1920, Earle Dickson, a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson, noticed his newlywed wife, Josephine, frequently suffered small cuts and burns while cooking. Each time, he had to cut pieces of surgical tape and gauze to fashion a bandage, which was difficult for her to apply herself. Dickson sought a more practical solution, combining the company's existing products: adhesive tape and sterile gauze, to create a ready-to-use dressing.

From Handmade Prototype to Global Staple

Dickson's ingenious prototype involved placing small squares of cotton gauze at intervals along a strip of surgical tape, then covering it with crinoline to prevent sticking. Josephine could then easily cut off a section and apply it herself. Johnson & Johnson recognized the potential, and the first commercial Band-Aids, initially sold as 18-inch-long strips that users cut to size, hit the market in 1921. Though initial sales were slow, reaching only $3,000 in the first year, widespread distribution, including free samples to Boy Scout troops, led to its eventual global success.