Band-Aid was invented by a J&J employee for his wife — and became a billion-dollar brand

In 1920, Earle Dickson was a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, New Jersey. His wife Josephine was accident-prone in the kitchen — she frequently cut herself while cooking. The existing bandages were large gauze squares that required cutting and tape. Dickson put a small piece of gauze on the center of a strip of adhesive tape and covered it with crinoline fabric to keep it sterile. He had invented the adhesive bandage.

Dickson showed his invention to his boss at Johnson & Johnson. The company was initially unimpressed. J&J was a medical supply company that sold bulk bandages to hospitals and pharmacies. Consumer products were not their focus. The adhesive bandage seemed too small and too simple to be a serious product. The company did not see a market for it.

Dickson persisted. He demonstrated the product at company meetings. In 1921, J&J finally agreed to manufacture the Band-Aid — but only by hand. The first year's production was small. The product was not an immediate success. Sales were slow. J&J almost discontinued it. Dickson was promoted to vice president and kept pushing the product internally.

The Band-Aid became a massive success after J&J introduced machine-made production in 1924 and started giving free samples to Boy Scouts. By the 1930s, Band-Aid was a household name. Johnson & Johnson has sold over 100 billion Band-Aids worldwide. The product that the company almost rejected became one of the most successful consumer products in history. An employee's kitchen invention became a billion-dollar brand.