Tempur-pedic’s History
The early years: NASA® and the Swedish scientists
If there’s one thing that people know about us, it’s that we’re somehow connected with both NASA and Sweden. How is that possible?
In the early 1970s, NASA developed a pressure-absorbing material to help cushion and support astronauts during lift-off. The material was temperature-sensitive and it evenly distributed body weight. NASA released this material to the public in the 1980s.
Another set of scientists, at the soon-to-be-merged companies Fagerdala in Sweden and Dan-Foam in Denmark, continued development on NASA’s creation. After nearly a decade and millions of research dollars, these “Swedish scientists” perfected TEMPUR material for use in mattresses.
Next up: better sleep comes to the U.S.
In 1992, Lexington, Kentucky resident Bob Trussell visited Denmark and met the scientists at Dan-Foam. Realizing the opportunity to improve sleep for people in the U.S., he started Tempur-Pedic—and a revolution in sleep was born.
The company built an R&D and engineering center in Duffield, Virginia and a second fabrication plant in Albuquerque, New Mexico. And we began telling our story—people still remember the legendary “wine glass” commercial, even though it hasn’t run for years.
Eventually, Tempur-Pedic and the Danish company Dan-Foam combined, creating a global company focused on sleep products and headquartered in Lexington.
Today: everything you need for better sleep
Over the years, we’ve expanded our line of mattresses and added pillows, bed linens, cushions—even a sleep mask and slippers. In addition to our original TEMPUR-formulation products, we have TEMPUR-HD that highly conforms to your body for better pressure relief, and TEMPUR-ES for unmatched pillowy softness with our famous support. Our products are sold in retail stores across the country, as well as direct from us by phone and on this website. And most exciting for us, we’re now the most highly recommended bed in America.
The future: continued innovation
With scientists and engineers in Denmark and the U.S. working in concert, we’ll continue to develop new ways to use TEMPUR material, as well as new formulations of the original to help people sleep better. |
