Kilmer House

This year – 2014 – is the 350th birthday of New Jersey.  The year-long celebration focuses on three major themes that run through New Jersey’s history:  innovation, diversity and liberty.  (Why those three themes?  New Jersey has brought an incredible amount of innovation to the world; it was one of the most diverse of the original thirteen colonies and retains that diversity today; and the state played a large role in the creation of the United States.)  As part of the 350th anniversary activities, The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce is conducting a public survey to choose the greatest innovat

The year 2014 is a big year in New Jersey, the state in which Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886.   This year is New Jersey’s 350th anniversary and, as part of the celebrations, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce is counting down the Top 25 innovators in New Jersey history.  Number nine on that list – which so far also includes inventors, scientists, astronauts, entrepreneurs and activists – is General Robert Wood Johnson. The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce is revealing the name of one New Jersey innovator each week, counting down to the organization’s October 27th Gala, at which they

John J. Heldrich John J. Heldrich, retired vice president of administration and retired member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors at Johnson & Johnson, passed away this week at age 88.  Born in New Brunswick, N.J., during the Great Depression, Mr. Heldrich would later lead the transformation of the city based on a commitment to the community as outlined in the Johnson & Johnson Credo. John Heldrich was born January 15, 1926, in New Brunswick and was raised in Highland Park, across the Raritan River from Johnson & Johnson.  The youngest of five boys, he recalled playi

There’s a saying that the best place to hide something is in plain sight.  Anyone who has frantically tried to find his or her keys certainly can attest to that being the case.  But did you know that it’s also true for Johnson & Johnson history?  Here are some surprising people and things from Johnson & Johnson history that have been hiding in plain sight. Drawing of the first Johnson & Johnson building, 1886. From our archives.  Wouldn't it be great to have a photograph too? Well, as it turns out, we have more photos than we thought... 1.  The first Johnson & Johnson building:

Since its origins in 1911, International Women’s Day has been a day to recognize the leadership of women and to mark their economic, political and social achievements. This year’s theme is Make it Happen, and women have been making things happen at Johnson & Johnson since our founding in 1886. In recognition of the contributions of women everywhere, here’s a look at ten ways that women have shaped Johnson & Johnson. 1.  1886: Women helped start the company! When Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886, eight of our first 14 employees – more than half! – were women. Those employees w

This week is #MuseumWeek, a global celebration of museums on Twitter. Johnson & Johnson is proud to participate in Museum Week this year for the first time, and we’ve been sharing some of our museum secrets, favorites, iconic products, and cool things. As part of that, we asked people to identify five mysterious items from the Johnson & Johnson Museum. Here are the mystery items:     And here are the answers and some background on each item!   Mystery Item #1:   Although Johnson & Johnson didn’t invent this item, we were the first to mass produce it in 18

Johnson & Johnson is proud to partner with MSNBC and Mika Brezezinski on her Know Your Value platform, which is designed to empower women at work and encourage them to be actively healthier as part of that effort. This partnership is particularly meaningful to Johnson & Johnson in a variety of ways that go back to the company’s earliest roots. The first Johnson & Johnson building in 1886. From our archives.   Johnson & Johnson has recognized the value of women and the importance of their unique contributions since the company was founded. Today we’re the world’s most comprehen

Support for nursing is a fundamental part of the history of Johnson & Johnson.  Its roots go back to the founding of the company, and to the beginnings of modern nursing itself. Nurses are featured in the first paragraph of Our Credo, second only to doctors: “We believe our first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses and patients, to mothers and fathers…” Employees at Johnson & Johnson have understood nurses' vital importance to patients, to health care, and to our company for more than a century.   Brochure showing a painting of Florence Nightingale, commissioned by Johnson &

BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages were featured on the CBS Sunday Morning annual design show, Sunday Morning by Design, on May 31st. An iconic consumer product and a design classic, BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages are instantly recognizable as a symbol of caring for 94 years. You can watch the show on the CBS website at this link. The show focused on design and the role it plays in so many aspects of our lives – from places, to comedy, to everyday items, to health care. One of the themes of the show was how design can change the world. 1921 ad for BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages, from our

We think of multi-language advertising as a modern phenomenon, but in fact at some companies it goes back decades – sometimes more than a century.   More than 100 years ago, Johnson & Johnson had an in-house Spanish-language advertising department that produced ads, correspondence and other materials for Latin America, the Spanish-speaking retail pharmacists who sold our products in the United States, and for Spanish speaking physicians. The earliest of these items date back to the late 1800s, shortly after we were founded. Top half of an undated very early sterile surgical dressings and