1982 : The Tylenol murders
On this day in 1982, a sick 12-year-old girl in Elk Grove Village,
Illinois, unwittingly takes an Extra-Strength Tylenol capsule laced
with cyanide poison and dies later that day. She would be one of seven
people to die suddenly after taking the popular over-the-counter
medication, as the so-called Tylenol murders spread fear across
America. The victims, all from the Chicago area, ranged in age from 12
to 35 and included three members of the same family. Johnson &
Johnson, the maker of Tylenol, launched a massive recall of its
product and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the
arrest of the person or people responsible.
Investigators soon determined that the tainted Tylenol capsules hadn't
been tampered with at the factories where they were produced. This
meant that someone had taken the bottles from store shelves, laced
them with poison and then returned them to grocery stores and
pharmacies, where the victims later purchased the tampered bottles.
Johnson & Johnson reacted to the crisis swiftly and decisively,
launching a massive public relations campaign urging the public not to
use Tylenol. The company also ordered a national recall of 264,000
bottles of Tylenol and offered free replacement of the product in
safer tablet form. At the time, it was unusual for companies to recall
their products.
Before the "Tylenol Terrorist" struck, Tylenol was the nation's
leading over-the-counter drug and Johnson & Johnson's bestselling
product and some observers speculated that Tylenol would never be able
to recover from the disaster. However, within months, Tylenol was back
on store shelves with a new safety seal. The recall and re-launch cost
Johnson & Johnson over $100 million, but in the end, Johnson & Johnson
was praised for its handling of the crisis. Within a year, Tylenol's
market share rebounded and its tarnished image was significantly
repaired.
The Tylenol murders, which inspired copycat crimes involving other
products, were never solved, although various individuals were
investigated. However, a positive outcome of the crisis was that it
led drug makers to develop tamper-proof packaging, which had been
largely nonexistent before the Tylenol Terrorist struck.
history.com/tdih.do
1758 : Lord Nelson born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7035
1941 : Babi Yar massacre begins
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5383
1988 : American woman climbs Everest
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5384
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On this day in 1982, a sick 12-year-old girl in Elk Grove Village,
Illinois, unwittingly takes an Extra-Strength Tylenol capsule laced
with cyanide poison and dies later that day. She would be one of seven
people to die suddenly after taking the popular over-the-counter
medication, as the so-called Tylenol murders spread fear across
America. The victims, all from the Chicago area, ranged in age from 12
to 35 and included three members of the same family. Johnson &
Johnson, the maker of Tylenol, launched a massive recall of its
product and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the
arrest of the person or people responsible.
Investigators soon determined that the tainted Tylenol capsules hadn't
been tampered with at the factories where they were produced. This
meant that someone had taken the bottles from store shelves, laced
them with poison and then returned them to grocery stores and
pharmacies, where the victims later purchased the tampered bottles.
Johnson & Johnson reacted to the crisis swiftly and decisively,
launching a massive public relations campaign urging the public not to
use Tylenol. The company also ordered a national recall of 264,000
bottles of Tylenol and offered free replacement of the product in
safer tablet form. At the time, it was unusual for companies to recall
their products.
Before the "Tylenol Terrorist" struck, Tylenol was the nation's
leading over-the-counter drug and Johnson & Johnson's bestselling
product and some observers speculated that Tylenol would never be able
to recover from the disaster. However, within months, Tylenol was back
on store shelves with a new safety seal. The recall and re-launch cost
Johnson & Johnson over $100 million, but in the end, Johnson & Johnson
was praised for its handling of the crisis. Within a year, Tylenol's
market share rebounded and its tarnished image was significantly
repaired.
The Tylenol murders, which inspired copycat crimes involving other
products, were never solved, although various individuals were
investigated. However, a positive outcome of the crisis was that it
led drug makers to develop tamper-proof packaging, which had been
largely nonexistent before the Tylenol Terrorist struck.
history.com/tdih.do
1758 : Lord Nelson born
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7035
1941 : Babi Yar massacre begins
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5383
1988 : American woman climbs Everest
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5384
########################################
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