• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Who Invented Aspirin and How Did Aspirin Get its Name?

Who Invented Aspirin and How Did Aspirin Get its Name?

May 27, 2020 by Karen Hill

Aspirin is the most successful pharmaceutical drug ever produced.

aspirin tablets

Its main ingredient is found in the bark of the willow tree and was known as a pain reliever in 1500 B.C.

In 1828, the ingredient salicin was isolated.

In 1897 chemist Felix Hoffman developed a synthetic form, known as acetylsalicylic acid, at the Bayer factory in Germany.

It was referred to as “Aspirin” for the first time in 1899.

The name aspirin comes from from “acetyl” and “spirsäure”, which is an old German name for salicylic acid.

The word salicin, the compound in the willow bark that relieves pain, is derived from salix, the Latin word for “willow tree.”

North American Indians used birch bark to make salicylate pain remedies.

137 million Aspirin tablets are taken every day. In 1915, Aspirin became available without prescription.

Bayer® produces 50,000 tons of acetylsalicylic acid each year, enough to produce 100 billion tablets.

If these tablets were laid side by side they would form a line stretching to the moon and back.

Related Facts

  • What Are the Heart Health Benefits Of Aspirin and How Does Aspirin Help Prevent Heart Attacks?
  • When Was Aspirin Invented?
  • How Did Dr. Pepper Get its Name, Who Invented it, and How Did the Soft Drink Originate?
  • How Did Gatorade Get its Name, Who Invented the Energy Drink, and How Did it Originate?
  • How Did the Tuxedo Get its Name, Who Invented the Formal Suit, and Where Did it Come From?
  • How Did the Frisbee Get its Name, How Did it Originate, and Who Invented the Frisbee?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Why Do Our Palms Get Sweaty When We Are Nervous and How Do You Prevent it?
Next Post: What Do the Stars and Stripes on the American Flag Represent and What Do the Colors Symbolize? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy