<unk>  (acetylsalicylic acid) is a novel organic compound that does not occur in nature, and was first successfully synthesised 1899. In 1897, scientists at the drug and dye firm Bayer had begun investigating acetylated organic compounds as possible new medicines, following the success of acetanilide ten years earlier. By 1899, Bayer had created acetylsalicylic acid and named the drug<unk> ' going on to sell it around the world. The word<unk>  was Bayer's brand name, rather than the generic name of the drug; however, Bayer's rights to the trademark were lost or sold in many countries.<unk> 's popularity grew over the first half of the twentieth century leading to fierce competition with the proliferation of<unk>  brands and products.<unk> 's popularity declined after the development of acetaminophen/paracetamol in 1956 and ibuprofen in 1962. In the 1960s and 1970s, John Vane and others discovered the basic mechanism of<unk> 's effects, while clinical trials and other studies from the 1960s to the 1980s established<unk> 's efficacy as an anti-clotting agent that reduces the risk of clotting diseases.<unk>  sales revived considerably in the last decades of the twentieth century, and remain strong in the twenty-first with widespread use as a preventive treatment for heart attacks and strokes.
History of aspirin
History of cardiopulmonary resuscitation
History of invasive and interventional cardiology
History of penicillin
History of herbalism
History of chemical warfare
History of general anesthesia
History of diabetes