It’s May 10, 1876, the grand opening of a small pharmacy in Indianapolis. The streets are filled with people; merchants, women with their children, and couples strolling down the street, but few are paying attention to the new red brick building. The front of the store has a big sign that says “Eli Lilly.”. Inside, shelves overstuffed with bottles of medication and boxes of pills line the perimeter of the store. Colonel Eli Lilly is rolling pills in the back of the store, while his son takes the finished pills to dip in sugar. His wife is at the register, eagerly awaiting a customer. [thesis]
Colonel Eli Lilly wasn’t expecting much when he opened his new business, as he was a man of many previous failures. He was born on July 8, 1838 on the …show more content…
There was a high demand for many drugs, causing the company to frantically speed up their production. This later impacted the way they produced drugs in mass quantities in times of need.
One of the major highlights of Josiah’s presidency was the discovery of insulin, a much-needed treatment for diabetes. Diabetes is a condition where the patient has too much blood sugar in their system. To produce insulin, the company teamed up with the University of Toronto in 1922. That same year, the company got their license to sell the product, and was one of the few companies who did. In 1923 the company introduced “Itelin”, the first insulin treatment.
The product soared higher than the company had originally anticipated. By the year 1923, nearly half of the company’s sales came from insulin. This major success inspired the company to expand their research and begin to work with people from around the globe. The discovery of insulin is arguably what pushed Lilly to the size it is …show more content…
In 1932 Josiah K. Sr, Josiah K. Jr. and Eli created the Lilly Endowment. The purpose of the endowment is to support causes of religion, education, community, and development. The endowment has donated around 9 billion dollars to organizations in Indianapolis and is 6th on the top of the list of U.S. foundations.
The Lilly Foundation was established in 1968 to improve health for those in need, strengthen education, and to support Indianapolis organizations. The Foundation has donated to an incredible amount of things. It has awarded cash grants for philanthropic initiatives, donated to Wabash College, the Indiana Historical Society, the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, 3700 items to Indiana University, Eagle Creek Park, Heritage Museum, Indianapolis Zoo, American Red Cross, Herron School of Art, and the Ruth Lilly Medical Education Center.
Colonel Eli Lilly also had a great interest in archeology. Some of the company’s historical preservations include Conner Prairie, the William Henry Harrison House in Vincennes, the Waiting Station at Crown Hill Cemetery, and Lockerbie