Lunsford Richardson, Creator of Vicks VapoRub
Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Lunsford Richardson 1854 1919. A pharmacist and entrepreneur, he created Vicks VapoRub in 1894 while operating a drugstore 150 yards north.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
While tending his Greensboro drugstore in 1894, pharmacist Lunsford Richardson blended a menthol salve to ease his family's colds. He called it Vicks VapoRub, and the mentholated rub grew into a household staple sold around the world. His small-town pharmacy counter became the birthplace of an American consumer icon.
Why it matters
Vicks VapoRub shows how a local druggist's tinkering could grow into a global brand during the age of mass-marketed remedies.
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Related people
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