Category Everyday Things

            Various natural things were used to clean clothes in ancient times. Natron, a form of carbonate soda, was used by the Egyptians as a detergent. The Romans, on the other hand, were said to have used Fuller’s Earth (dirt absorbing clay) on their woollen garments.

            The manufacturing of modern-day detergents can be traced back to the 19th century. The first soap powder Babbitt’s Best Soap, went on sale in New York in 1843.

            Later, in the 1880s, synthetic detergents were first developed in Germany. Nekal was the first commercial detergent, which was marketed in Europe during 1917.

            The Romans are credited with the introduction of adding a faint blue dye to rinsing water in order to eliminate the yellow tinge from clothes. This was later introduced in Britain.

Picture credit: google

            It was around 2800 BC that the Ancient Babylonians became the first civilization to use something similar to soap. They washed their clothes with something similar to a real soap, which was made from wood ash and liquid animal fats.

            During the 3rd millennium BC, the Mesopotamians used different ingredients like oil and potash, to make something like a liquid soap.

            The Ancient Hebrews were said to have started using the roots of certain plants for making soap. They found that those roots had the ability to remove dirt.

            However, the hard, modern day, perfumed toilet soaps were initially manufactured in the Middle East.

            During the 9th century, the Europeans started using soaps, which were basically produced from animal fats. Their soaps were un-perfumed. Finer soaps were later produced in Europe from the 16th century, using vegetable oils.

Picture credit: google

            Around 5000 BC, the Egyptians made a paste to clean their teeth. Later, the Ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese and Indians also started using toothpaste.

            These ancient toothpastes were made by a concoction of different things in different parts of the world.

            The powder of ox hooves’ ashes, burnt eggshells and pumice were some of them. The Chinese are said to have used various ingredients in their toothpastes, including ginseng, herbal mints, and salt.

            Until the 1850s, toothpastes were basically powders. It was during the 1850s that real progress happened, when cream based toothpastes were manufactured and commercialized.

In the year 1873, Colgate started the mass production of toothpastes in jars (later tubes) all over the world.

Picture credit: google

            Before the invention of toothbrushes, the simplest oral hygiene instruments, a variety of other methods had been used. Some of them were chew sticks, tree twigs, bird feathers, animal bones, and porcupine quills.

            The first bristle toothbrushes, similar to the modern version, originated in China. They consisted of hog bristles, and were used during the Tang Dynasty. It is said that firmer bristles were produced from hogs living in colder regions like Siberia and northern China. The handles of the toothbrushes were carved out of bamboo, or bones.

            However, toothbrushes were introduced in the western society only during the 17th century. In Europe, William Addis of England is believed to have produced the first commercially successful toothbrush in 1780.

Picture credit: google

            It is said that the Scandinavians designed the first comb, carved out of bones, almost a thousand years ago. However, the Ancient Egyptians made fancier versions, like a double-sided comb, using ivory and wood.

            Comb teeth were produced individually, until 1796, when William Bundy developed a device to carve them together in equal measurements.

            The first plastic comb was made by the chemist Alexander Parkes in 1862. Later, in the 19th century, more advanced and sophisticated version called brushes, for easy untangling of hair, were introduced. Ivory from Africa and India were used to make the backs of such brushes.

            The first mirrors were crafted around 5000 BC in Italy and the Middle East.

Picture credit: google

            Locks trace their history back to the beginning of modern civilization, when people developed a need to keep their belongings safe. The first wooden keys and locks were said to have originated in Ancient Egypt.

            Later, more detailed, user-friendly locks were being made in parts of Europe, especially in Britain. Following these improvements, lock-smiths created the first keys for much safer and reliable usage of the mechanism. It was in 1778 that the locksmith Robert Barron started producing licensed double action tumbler locks. This lock was much reliable compared to earlier locks.

            However, the most reliable locks were made by the American locksmith Linus Yale. He produced the locks based on the Egyptian principle of pin tumblers.

            Later, in 1856, Linus Yale Junior developed an updated version of these locks for the modern era.

Picture credit: google

            One end of a match, a handy tool for producing fire, is coated with a material that can be ignited by frictional heat. The fire is created by striking the match against a suitable surface.

            The invention of matchsticks is still ambiguous. Primitive men used many unknown tools as ways to create fire. However, it is said that the first chemical matches were initially made by the Romans. They used matches in the form of lengths of wood dipped into molten sulphur, and ignited with the heat from smouldering tinder.

              In 1680, Robert Boyle discovered that when rubbed together, phosphorous and sulphur created flame. Even after this crucial discovery, it took over 150 years to produce self-igniting matches.

            Something similar to modern-day matches was invented by John Walker, an English chemist. Walker called them friction lights; they had tips coated with potassium chloride and antimony sulphide paste. They were ignited when rubbed against sandpaper.

Picture credit: google

            It was during the 1790s, that gas lighting was first invented. Gaslights were first installed on the streets of London in 1807. By the 1860s, the city was totally lit by gas.

            Though gaslights were a great deal back then, they had many disadvantages too, mainly because they provided only very dim light.

            It was the English chemist Humphry Davy who introduced the possibility of using electricity to heat metal strips, and make them provide light. There were still reservations about using electric lighting for households. Later, in 1878 the English physicist Joseph Swan produced incandescent light that lasted for a few hours.

            The electric light was not literally ‘invented’ by Thomas Alva Edison, although he could be said to have created the first commercially practical incandescent light bulb in 1879.

Picture credit: google