Bayer Synthesizes Aspirin: The World's First Wonder Drug
Bayer chemist Felix Hoffmann synthesized acetylsalicylic acid in 1897, transforming Edward Stone's 1763 discovery of willow bark into the world's first mass-produced painkiller and fever reducer. This breakthrough launched a global health revolution that now sees 40,000 tonnes consumed annually to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and certain cancers while remaining a cornerstone of essential medicine worldwide.
March 6, 1899
127 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on March 6
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