Aiding Survivors of the Johnstown Flood, 1889

Image courtesy: Johnson & Johnson Archives

On May 31, 1889, a flood inundated the area surrounding Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing more than 2,200 people (almost as many as the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor). The disaster—then the worst in U.S. history—occurred just two months before Fred Kilmer became Johnson & Johnson’s scientific director. At the time, he owned a respected New Brunswick pharmacy. Upon hearing of the flood and its devastating effects, Kilmer sent medical supplies from his business to aid the surviving citizens of Johnstown.