Fair Packaging and Labeling Act required all consumer products in interstate commerce to be honestly and informatively labeled
In 1967 the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA or Act), enacted by the U.S. Congress directs the…
Medtronic opened a service center at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport
In 1967, Medtronic opened a service center at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Staffed round-the-clock, the Schiphol Depot provided physicians…
Medtronic introduced two “on-demand” pacemakers
In 1967, Medtronic introduced two “on-demand” pacemakers, designed to avoid competition between paced beats and the patient’s own…
Medtronic purchased the patents related to implantable pacemakers from Drs. Greatbatch and Chardack
In 1966, Medtronic purchased the patents related to implantable pacemakers from Drs. Wilson Greatbatch and William Chardack. Building…
Stanford Medicine demonstrated electrical stimulation of auditory nerve in deaf patients, paving the way for cochlear implants
In May 1964, Blair Simmons and a Stanford University colleague implanted a 6-electrode array into the modiolus of…
Dr. Charles T. Dotter performed the world’s first percutaneous transluminal angioplasty
On Jan. 16, 1964, Dr. Charles T. Dotter at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), considered the father…
first successful cochlear implant performed at House Ear Institute
On Mar. 1, 1961, the first successful single-channel cochlear implant was performed by Dr. William House and John…
Medtronic relocated its headquarters to St Anthony Village in Minneapolis
In 1961, Medtronic relocated its headquarters to a 15,000-square-foot facility in St. Anthony Village in Minneapolis. The new…
The first ‘Scribner shunt’ was implanted in the arm of a Boeing machinist
On Mar. 9, 1960, Dr. Belding Scribner implanted the first Scribner Shunt in the arm of Clyde Shields…
Medtronic signed a contract that provided exclusive rights to produce and market the Chardack-Greatbatch implantable pulse generator
In 1960, Medtronic’s founders read an article about the implantable pulse generator with interest and soon contacted the…
President Dwight Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act
On Jul. 29, 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act (NASA), leading to the…
Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics for his invention of the integrated circuit
In 1958, the Integrated circuit was invented by Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments (TI). Kilby was awarded the…
C. Walton Lillehei and Dr. Richard A DeWall at the University of Minnesota Heart Hospital co-invented a heart-lung machine
In 1958, C. Walton Lillehei and Dr. Richard A. DeWall at the University of Minnesota Heart Hospital co-invent…
Johnsonﾠ & ﾠJohnson established operations in India
In 1957, Johnsonﾠ&ﾠJohnson established operations in India.
Physio-Control was incorporated by Dr. K. William Edmark, a Seattle cardiovascular surgeon
On May 29, 1956, Physio-Control was incorporated by Dr. K. William Edmark, a Seattle cardiovascular surgeon, who was…
Biology | Diagnostics | Disease | Life Science History | Medical Device | Medicine | Non-Profit Research | Therapeutics
Howard Hughes Medical Institute was founded
On Dec. 17, 1953, Howard Hughes signed documents that created the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, formed with the…
Medtronic was founded as a medical equipment repair shop by Earl Bakken and his brother-in-law, Palmer Hermundslie
In 1953, Medtronic was founded as a medical equipment repair shop by Earl Bakken and his brother-in-law, Palmer…
Biotechnology | Diagnostics | Life Science History | Medical Device | Non-Profit Research | Therapeutics
Quinton Instruments was founded by University of Washington biomedical engineer Wayne Quinton
In 1953, Quinton Instruments was founded by University of Washington biomedical engineer Wayne Quinton with the initial focus…
Diagnostics | Environmental | Life Science History | Medical Device | Non-Profit Research | Therapeutics
Founders day at The University of California Radiation Laboratory (Livermore)
On Aug. 26, 1952, Founders Day marks the date that Ernest Lawrence received permission to open up a…
Dr. C. Walton Lillehei performed surgery using the world’s first small, portable, battery-powered pacemaker
In 1950, Dr. C. Walton Lillehei at the University of Minnesota (UMN) performed surgery on Mike Shaw from…
Prosthetic designers gradually replace wood and leather with newer materials
In 1950, Prosthetic designers gradually replaced wood and leather with newer materials. J.E. Hanger of Washington created a…
Sandia Corporation started managing Sandia Laboratory
On Nov. 2, 1949, Sandia Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Electric, took over management of Sandia…
Ethicon was formed from Johnsonﾠ &ﾠ Johnson’s heritage suture business
In 1949, Ethicon was formed from Johnson ﾠ&ﾠ Johnson’s heritage suture business.
Sandia National Laboratories was founded
Sandia began in 1945 as Z Division, the ordnance design, testing, and assembly arm of Los Alamos National…
Wyckoff and Williams introduced the shadowing of electron microscope specimens
In 1945, scientists Ralph W. G. Wyckoff of the University of Michigan Department of Epidemiology and Robley Williams…
Johnson ﾠ& ﾠJohnson went public on the New York Stock Exchange
In 1944, Johnsonﾠ &ﾠ Johnson went public with a listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
Actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr co-patented a technology called ‘frequency hopping,’ a precursor to wireless communications
On Aug. 11, 1942, Hedy Lamarr, a renown actress and George Antheil , a composer and pianist, co-patented…
Mayo research led to the development of an anti-blackout suit worn by American fliers in World War II
In 1942, the U.S. government with the military secretly tasked a small group of Mayo Clinic physicians and…
Biotechnology | Diagnostics | Infectious Disease | Life Science History | Medical Device | Medicine | Non-Profit Research | Therapeutics
The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research was founded
On Dec. 16, 1941, the Texas Biomedical Research Institute began as the scientific dream of its founder, Thomas…
Washington University – St Louis received the first cyclotron installed at a US academic medical center
In 1941, Washington University ﾖ St. Louis received the first cyclotron installed at a U.S. academic medical center.