The German company Bayer patents aspirin on March 6,
1899. Now the most common drug in household medicine
cabinets, acetylsalicylic acid was originally made from a
chemical found in the bark of willow trees.
In its primitive form, the active ingredient, salicin, was used
for centuries in folk medicine, beginning in ancient Greece
when Hippocrates used it to relieve pain and fever.
Known to doctors since the mid-19th century, it was used
sparingly due to its unpleasant taste and tendency to
damage the stomach.
Aspirin was made available in tablet form and without a
prescription in 1915.
German chemist professor Felix Hoffman, the father of aspirin.
