Earle Dickson | |
---|---|
Born |
Grandview, Tennessee |
October 10, 1892
Died | September 21, 1961 Kitchener, Ontario |
(aged 68)
Nationality | American |
Spouse(s) | Josephine Knight |
Engineering career | |
Institutions | Johnson & Johnson |
Projects |
BAND-AID adhesive bandages |
Earle Dickson (October 10, 1892—September 21, 1961) was an American inventor best known for creating Band-Aid® brand adhesive bandages. He lived in Highland Park, New Jersey, for a large portion of his life.
Dickson was a cotton buyer at the Johnson & Johnson company. His wife, Josephine Knight, often cut herself while doing housework and cooking. Dickson found the gauze stuck to a wound with tape did not stay on her active fingers. In 1920, he placed squares of gauze in intervals on a roll of tape, held in place with crinoline.James Wood Johnson, his boss, liked the idea, and put it into production. In 1924, Johnson & Johnson installed machines to mass-produce the once handmade bandages. Following the commercial success of his design, Dickson was promoted to vice president.