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  4. 5
  5. Chicago Tylenol murders

Events on October 5 in history

1982Oct, 5

Chicago Tylenol murders: Johnson & Johnson initiates a nationwide product recall in the United States for all products in its Tylenol brand after several bottles in Chicago are found to have been laced with cyanide, resulting in seven deaths.

The Chicago Tylenol murders were a series of poisoning deaths resulting from drug tampering in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1982. The victims had all taken Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. A total of seven people died in the original poisonings, with several more deaths in subsequent copycat crimes.

To date, no suspect has been charged or convicted of the poisonings. New York City resident James William Lewis was convicted of extortion for sending a letter to Tylenol's manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, that took responsibility for the deaths and demanded $1 million to stop them, but evidence tying Lewis to the actual poisoning never emerged.

The incidents led to reforms in the packaging of over-the-counter substances and to federal anti-tampering laws. The actions of Johnson & Johnson to reduce deaths and warn the public of poisoning risks have been widely praised as an exemplary public relations response to such a crisis.


References

  • Chicago Tylenol murders
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Product recall
  • Tylenol (brand)
  • Cyanide

Choose Another Date

Events on 1982

  • 4May

    Falklands War

    Twenty sailors are killed when the British Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield is hit by an Argentinian Exocet missile during the Falklands War.
  • 25May

    Falklands War

    HMS Coventry is sunk during the Falklands War.
  • 6Jun

    Operation Peace for the Galilee

    The Lebanon War begins. Forces under Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon invade southern Lebanon during Operation Peace for the Galilee, eventually reaching as far north as the capital Beirut.
  • 11Sep

    1982 Invasion of Lebanon

    The international forces that were guaranteeing the safety of Palestinian refugees following Israel's 1982 Invasion of Lebanon leave Beirut. Five days later, several thousand refugees are massacred in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps by Phalange forces.
  • 14Oct

    War on Drugs

    U.S. President Ronald Reagan proclaims a War on Drugs.

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