Brands and inventions

When brands become words: 10 U.S. classics

Some 20th-century inventions solved real problems of everyday life, and their stories are just as surprising: like Band-Aid helping soldiers during World War II, or the Jacuzzi being created to relieve arthritis pain. Over time, many of these products became so popular that their brand names turned into everyday words. Here are 10 brand names that became everyday words.

Every small cut brings it to mind, but did you know that Band-Aid was created in 1920 by Earle Dickson, a Johnson & Johnson employee, for his wife? Josephine Dickson often got cut and burned while cooking, so Earle combined two products: adhesive tape and gauze, and the Band-Aid Brand adhesive bandage was created. One year later, 1921, they were already in stores, and in 1942, Band-Aid was the product in every soldier's kit on the front lines of World War II. One century later, in 2021, Band-Aid introduced "OURTONE" bandages, designed to better blend with brown skin tones. Today, it remains the top-selling bandage brand.

Although today they’re linked to relaxation and luxury, the Jacuzzi wasn’t originally designed for that. The story begins with seven Italian brothers who moved to California in the early 1900s. Known as the Jacuzzi Brothers Inc., they worked as inventors, developing water pumps for agriculture and engineering solutions for aviation.

Their most important invention came from a personal need. After one of the brothers’ sons, Kenneth, was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, Candido Jacuzzi created a portable hydrotherapy pump to help ease his pain. Introduced in 1956, the device turned a regular bathtub into a therapeutic spa. In 1968, Roy Jacuzzi took the idea further and launched the first fully integrated whirlpool bath. Today, the company holds more than 250 patents, and "Jacuzzi" has become almost synonymous with whirlpool baths.

Another man who made a discovery that stood the test of time. In 1968, Spencer Silver was trying to create a super-strong adhesive at 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company), but instead came up with a weak, reusable one. It could stick to surfaces without leaving marks, but at first, no one knew what to use it for.

A few years later, in 1974, Art Fry needed a bookmark that would stay in place without damaging pages. He realized Silver’s adhesive was perfect for that idea, and it quickly evolved into small and removable notes. In 1977, they were called "Press n’ Peel," but the product didn’t gain much attention until 1980, when they were relaunched as Post-it Notes and became part of everyday life.

Believe it or not, it all started with pie. The Frisbie Pie Company of Connecticut was one of the most successful bakeries on the East Coast by the mid-1900s. College students began tossing empty pie tins, shouting "Frisbie!" to warn each other, and the name stuck as the game spread across campuses.

On the other side of the country, Walter Frederick Morrison was experimenting with flying discs. Inspired by the growing fascination with UFO sightings, he designed a plastic version called the "Pluto Platter," which he was selling in Los Angeles by 1951. In 1955, Wham-O, a renowned toy brand, spotted him and brought him on board. After hearing the word "Frisbee" used by college students, the company officially adopted the name in 1957. Today, flying disc sports are played around the globe by millions of people.

During World War I, Kimberly-Clark developed crepe paper for gas mask filters. After the war, with less demand for military supplies, the company needed new uses for the material. In the 1920s, it was adapted into Kotex, offering a more hygienic option for women. It was later marketed as a "marvelous new way to remove cold cream," but, in 1927, the company suggested another use: disposable "absorbent handkerchiefs." By 1930, it was promoted as "the handkerchief you can throw away," reflecting a growing focus on hygiene and convenience. Today, it’s hard to think of tissues without calling them Kleenex.

In 1923, after seeing his wife wrap small pieces of cotton around toothpicks, Leo Gerstenzang founded the Leo Gerstenzang Infant Novelty Co. and began producing a ready-to-use cotton swab.

The product was first called "Baby Gays," then renamed "Q-Tips Baby Gays" in 1926, before being shortened to simply Q-tips. The "Q" stands for quality. It became widely popular in the 1920s–30s as a baby care product, and in 1987 was acquired by Unilever, helping expand it worldwide. Over time, the name "Q-tips" became so common that many people use it to refer to any cotton swab, not just the brand.

How did a young banjo player in Minnesota end up creating Scotch Tape? Richard Drew, who practiced the banjo in his free time, joined 3M Company (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) in 1923 and began working with materials in auto body shops. There, he noticed painters struggled to get clean lines because existing tape damaged fresh paint. He solved this by inventing masking tape in 1925. An early version didn’t have enough adhesive, and painters joked the company was being "scotch," or cheap; a nickname that stuck.

In 1930, Drew adapted the idea to cellophane, creating the first transparent Scotch Tape for sealing and everyday use. The product became especially popular during the Great Depression, when people used it to fix and reuse items instead of replacing them because they were rather expensive or scarce in markets.

In 1845, Peter Cooper created a powdered gelatin, but it wasn’t yet a ready-to-use dessert. Decades later, in 1897, Pearle Bixby Wait and his wife, May, added sugar and fruit flavor, turning it into what would become Jell-O. In 1899, the couple sold their flavored gelatin product and business to their neighbor, Orator Francis Woodward, for $450 because it wasn't growing.

Until Woodward then built a strong marketing campaign, using free recipe booklets and traveling salesmen to show how easy it was to make, helping Jell-O grow in popularity. By the early 1900s, it was already a household name, and today, it’s known as one of America’s most famous desserts.

Dr. Feet was a pharmacist in Lynchburg, Virginia, who opened his family-run pharmacy in 1869. He was known for creating remedies and experimenting with ingredients to help customers.

In the 1890s, he developed an early version of ChapStick. However, it wasn’t until his friends, Mr. and Mrs. Morton, who had already bought the product, refined the idea that the product took shape. Mrs. Morton melted the mixture and poured it into brass tubes to form sticks, making it easier to use and ready for wider distribution, turning the product into America’s easy-to-carry favorite for lip care to this day.

In 1959, the Xerox 914 copier was introduced, allowing people to make plain-paper copies quickly, changing office work for good. How did it all start? Patent attorney Chester Carlson created the first xerographic image in 1938. He needed a simpler way to copy documents after studying imaging processes at the public library. At first, he called his method "electrophotography," because it used light and static electricity. After being rejected by more than twenty companies, his idea was finally picked up by the Haloid Company, when a consultant suggested the name "xerography," meaning "dry writing," to replace the original term.

After the success of the Xerox 914, Haloid Company renamed itself Xerox in 1961, turning the invention into a global business. The copier quickly became essential in offices, making document duplication faster and more accessible than ever before. As the technology spread, the brand name became so widely used that "to xerox" started to mean "to photocopy," until these days.

PASS THE FISH SAUCE

Go Beyond Mayonnaise, Ketchup & Mustard: 10 Condiments To Spice It Up!

Image: JACQUELINE BRANDWAYN

Sure, there is nothing wrong with good old mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup. But those classic flavors would be even more appreciated if given a rest for a while. And, in the meantime, here are ten condiments from all over the world that have been waiting on the benches for their day on the spotlight on your diner table. Did you ever hear about oyster sauce? Or lingonberry jam? Take a quick look and see if any of these flavor enhancers tempt you!

Image: Davide Cantelli

Let us start this list with a sauce that is served throughout the Balkan nations as a relish or a side dish. The so-called "Serbian Salsa", ajvar is a condiment made principally from sweet bell peppers and eggplants.

The relish became a popular side dish throughout Yugoslavia after World War II and is made of roasted peppers. Ajvar can be consumed as a bread spread or as a side dish. Ajvar has a few variations. One variation contains tomato and eggplant, and another green bell peppers and oregano.

Image: Viviana Rishe

Hoisin sauce gives a tangy glaze to any dish. Essentially a Chinese barbecue sauce, this condiment lies at the intersection of brown sauce and hot sauce. Peking ducks are almost always dressed with hoisin sauce.

This is a thick, fragrant sauce commonly used as a glaze for meat, an addition to stir fry, or as a dipping sauce. It is dark-colored, sweet, and salty. Although regional variants exist, hoisin sauce usually includes soybeans, fennel, red chili peppers, and garlic.

Image: Nick Karvounis

A Korean sauce, gochujang is a savory and spicy hot pepper paste that gives many dishes from its country of origin their unique taste. It is made from chili, fermented soybeans, sticky rice, and salt, it’s mostly combined with other condiments when used.

Traditionally, it would be naturally fermented over years in ceramic vessels on an elevated stone platform in the backyard but these days it is prepared in a more industrial environment.

Image: Caroline Attwood

As the name implies, fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish. Its pungent smell may come as a shock to the first-time user but it is a flavor one gets used to. It helps enhance the taste of the ingredients it touches.

It is mixed with sugar, chili, lime juice, and garlic, and due to its ability to add a savory umami flavor to dishes, it has been embraced globally by chefs and home cooks. It can be used as a seasoning during or after cooking and as a base in dipping sauces.

Image: NordWood Themes

A familiar name to many, chutney is made of fruit or vegetable marinated in vinegar, spices, and sugar, chutneys can be sweet, savory, or spicy. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt, or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion, or mint dipping sauce.

Vinegar was added to the recipe for English-style chutney that traditionally aims to give a long shelf life so that autumn fruit can be preserved for use throughout the year or to be sold as a commercial product. In Western cuisine, chutney is often eaten with hard cheese or with cold meats.

Image: Ashim D’Silva

Miso is a byproduct of soy sauce, but it has a life of its own. Apart from being used to make soup, the paste can be served directly as a topping on rice.

High in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, it is used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables, fish, or meats. Different varieties of miso have been described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, and savory.

Image: Kiyoshi

Another familiar name on the list, aioli begins with a ground garlic paste before whipping in egg yolk, olive oil, and mustard. The emulsion is sometimes seasoned with lemon juice, saffron, or chili. It is a perfect dip for seafood, veggie crisps, or french fries.

The names mean "garlic and oil" in Catalan and Provençal. It is found in the cuisines of the Mediterranean coasts of Spain and France.Some versions of the sauce are closer to a garlic mayonnaise, incorporating egg yolks and lemon juice, whereas other versions lack egg yolk and contain more garlic.

Image: Tyson

Perhaps it is more than "just" a condiment, as it also has steamed, fried sausage, usually pork, typically cut into bite-sized chunks. But in this case, we are highlighting the curry ketchup that goes with it.

Currywurst sauce is based on spiced ketchup or tomato paste topped with curry powder, or a ready-made ketchup seasoned with curry and other spices. The dish is often served with french fries.

Image: Raphael Nogueira

As exotic as the name sounds, it is not a rare condiment. Oyster sauce is a viscous dark brown condiment thickened with corn starch, made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt, and water.

Oyster sauce is saltier and is used more often in everyday cooking than hoisin sauce. It’s as suitable for marinating a steak at home as it is for dressing boiled choi sum.

Image: Fábio Alves

Lingonberries grow on a short evergreen shrub in the Arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere from Eurasia to North America. And, in Sweden, these little berries are used to make delicious jam that is used as a condiment for meat courses, such as meatballs, beef stew, or fried herring.

Traditional dishes such as potato pancakes, spinach pancakes, and black pudding are commonly combined with lingonberries. The jam can also be paired with oatmeal porridge, mashed potatoes, and some desserts.