Editing Pfizer (section)

=== 1849–1950: Early history ===
Pfizer was founded in 1849 as "Charles Pfizer & Company" by [[Charles Pfizer]] and [[Charles F. Erhart]],<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/internationaldir0178unse |title=International Directory of Company Histories |date=2016 |publisher=St. James Press |isbn=978-1-4103-9198-8 |volume=178 |pages=362–373 |chapter=Pfizer Inc.}}</ref> two cousins who had immigrated to the United States from [[Ludwigsburg]], Germany. The business produced chemical compounds, and was headquartered on Bartlett Street<ref name="Citycyclopedia">Kenneth T. Jackson. ''The Encyclopedia of New York City''. The New York Historical Society; Yale University Press; September 1995. P. 895. {{ISBN|978-0-300-05536-8}}</ref> in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]], where they produced an [[antiparasitic]] called [[santonin]]. This was an immediate success, although it was production of [[citric acid]] that led to Pfizer's growth in the 1880s. Pfizer continued to buy property in the area (by now the Williamsburg district of the city of [[Brooklyn, New York]] and beginning in 1898, the [[City of Greater New York]]) to expand its lab and factory, retaining offices on Flushing Avenue until the 1960s; the Brooklyn plant ultimately closed in 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/nyregion/28pfizer.html |title=Pfizer's Birthplace, Soon Without Pfizer |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 28, 2007}}</ref> Following their success with citric acid, Pfizer (at the now-demolished 295 Washington Avenue) and Erhart (at 280 Washington Avenue) established their main residences in the nearby [[Clinton Hill, Brooklyn|Clinton Hill]] district, known for its concentration of [[Gilded Age]] wealth.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

In 1881, Pfizer moved its administrative headquarters to 81 Maiden Lane in [[Manhattan]], presaging the company's expansion to [[Chicago]], Illinois, a year later.<ref name="Citycyclopedia" /><ref name=collection/> By 1906 sales exceeded $3{{nbsp}}million.<ref name=history>{{Cite web |title=Company Timeline: a Legacy of Innovation |url=https://www.pfizer.com/about/history |url-status=live |website=Pfizer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408162711/https://www.pfizer.com/about/history |archive-date=2022-04-08 |access-date=2022-05-16}}</ref>

[[World War I]] caused a shortage of [[calcium citrate]]. Pfizer imported the compound from Italy for the manufacture of citric acid, and due to the disruption in supply, the company began a search for an alternative.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Malhotra |first=Girish K. |title=Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturing: Nondestructive Creation |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |year=2022 |isbn=978-3-11-070284-2 |pages=7 }}</ref> They found this in the form of a [[fungus]] capable of fermenting sugar to citric acid. By 1919, the company was able to commercialize production of citric acid from this source.<ref name=":5" /> The company developed expertise in fermentation technology as a result. These skills were applied to the [[History of penicillin#Deep submergence for industrial production|deep-submergence mass production]] of [[penicillin]], an [[antibiotic]], during [[World War II]] in response to the need to treat injured Allied soldiers.<ref name=Fermentation>{{Cite web |title=Penicillin Production through Deep-tank Fermentation – National Historic Chemical Landmark |url=https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/penicillin.html |publisher=[[American Chemical Society]]}}</ref> The company also embarked on a global [[soil]] collection program related to improving production yields of penicillin which ultimately resulted in 135,000 samples.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Steven |authorlink=Steven Johnson (author) |title=Extra Life |publisher=[[Riverhead Books]] |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-525-53885-1 |edition=1st |pages=160 }}</ref>

On June 2, 1942, the company incorporated under the [[Delaware General Corporation Law]].<ref name=10K/>