100 Entrepreneurs Who Changed The World
95. Merle Leland Youngs (1886-1958)
Merle Leland Youngs was an American manufacturer and the founder and manufacturer of Trojan brand condoms. Youngs Rubber Co. was founded by Youngs in 1920, realizing the potential market for a more trustworthy condom in a discrete package. Trojan brand condoms, decorated only with the helmet of a Trojan soldier, were marketed as high quality and more reliable. The symbol of the helmet, chosen by Youngs, represented protection and virility. He was one of the firsts to market condoms to doctors and pharmacists. Pharmacists began to prefer Trojan and recommended them. Today there are over 29 varieties of Trojan condoms, and they account for over 70% of all condoms sold in drugstores in the US. Trojan’s popularity and widespread success has helped to make sex safer, lowered disease rates, and reduced the rate of unwanted pregnancies. In fact, Youngs may be one of the unsung heroes of the 20th century.
