Like Kleenex (see entry under 1920s—Commerce in volume 2) tissues and Xerox copiers (see entry under 1960s—Commerce in volume 4), Band-Aid bandages have come to be the common name for the product, in this case an antiseptically sealed adhesive bandage designed for minor cuts and scrapes. The Band-Aid is composed of a pad that is placed over the wound, topped by adhesive "wings" that attach the bandage to the skin. The Band-Aid brand was introduced in 1921 by the Johnson & Johnson Company, which had been making surgical dressings since its incorporation in 1887. The company was founded by Robert Wood Johnson (1893–1968) and his brothers, James and Edward. Their company manufactured first-aid products that supported antiseptic methods then being widely adopted in American medicine.

Earle Dickson (1892–1961), a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson, developed the Band-Aid while trying to make a convenient, easy-to-apply bandage for his wife, Josephine, who was prone to...