Which healthcare company was founded in 1886 by Robert Wood Johnson and his brothers?

Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886 by Robert Wood Johnson and his brothers, James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson.

The company began in New Brunswick, New Jersey, making ready-to-use sterile surgical dressings. The brothers were influenced by Joseph Lister’s antiseptic-surgery methods, which helped reduce infections during medical procedures. Johnson & Johnson opened its first factory with 14 employees.

Its early products included sterile sutures, gauze, absorbent cotton, and medical guides explaining antiseptic wound treatment. In 1888, the company also created one of the first commercial first-aid kits, initially aimed at railroad workers far from medical care.

A common mix-up is assuming Johnson & Johnson began primarily as a pharmaceutical company. Its original business centered on medical and surgical supplies; consumer products and later pharmaceutical ventures expanded its reach. The company introduced Band-Aid adhesive bandages commercially in 1921.