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One of the most common household drugs, Aspirin hit stores officially in 1915
Today in 1899, the Germany based company Bayer placed a patent on the drug Aspirin after working to improve its quality. In its most primitive form the drug, acetylsalicylic acid, was found in tree bark. The drug had been known to doctors since the 19th century,but was used very little as it tasted bad and could damage the stomach. in 1897 Felix Hoffman who worked at Bayer discovered a way to make a simpler form of the drug that tasted a lot better with the help of chemist Arthur Eichengrun. Together the pair worked and soon had a finished product ready for use. After receiving the rights to the patent, Hoffman began to ship the drug out to physicians, and by 1915 the drug was being sold over-the-counter.
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