What is Aspirin?

Aspirin: the name should be common knowledge to anyone who has ever had a cold, fever, or a bad headache. Some of us take Aspirin as part of our daily routine to deal with the hectic and overwhelming obstacles we face through the day. The Aspirin medication has become so common in modern society that we take it for granted, and use it only with the knowledge that it has the potential to cure many of our minor ailments, but what exactly is it? What has made Aspirin into one of the most used drugs in the world?