The Origin of Plaster
- Earle Dickson's wife, Josephine was known to frequently cut and burn herself while cooking. He made the Band-Aid prototype for her by placing a small piece of gauze on top of a strip of tape. Then, he covered the surrounding sticky parts with crinoline, a stiff fabric. This kept the gauze sterile and prevented the adhesive from sticking to itself. His wife could unroll the tape and tear off a length of it as needed. Josephine liked the invention, and she found it offered excellent mobility and staying power.
- Band-Aids were not very successful during their first year. By the end of 1920, only three thousand dollars in sales had been
made.
- The first Band-Aids that Johnson & Johnson sold were made by hand, and came in large strips that were two and a half inches wide and eighteen inches long.
- In 1924, Johnson & Johnson developed a machine that mass-produced Band-Aids in great quantity. They were cut down to a smaller size, and new packages were made with red pull-strings that made the wrappers easy to open.
- 1938, Band-Aids became completely sterilized. When the United States entered World War II, Johnson & Johnson joined the war effort and sent millions of Band-Aids overseas. The bandages were even included in soldiers' standard mess kits.