The History o’the Tampon

The Egyptians used softened papyrus as a makeshift tampons and the Greeks used lint wrapped around wood.  Other materials used in the past were wool, paper, plant fibers, sponges, grass, and cotton.

Early tampons available to women in the 1920s did not have an applicator.  Some had to be removed by actually reaching in and handling the cotton or gauze tampon, while others had strings for easy removal.  In 1929, Dr. Earl Haas invented a stringed tampon with an applicator.  He filed for the patent in 1931, and later trademarked the name “Tampax.”  The rights and product were then purchased by Gertrude Tendrich, who founded the Tampax company.  And in 1936, the first Tampax ad was launched and a package of 10 tampons cost a whopping 35 cents!  There are a lot more tampons on the market to choose from, some with applicators (cardboard or plastic), some without, some organic, some with odor control, some without.

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