A tampon (French from tapon, ‘plug, stopper’) is a plug of soft material (usually cotton, rayon or a mixture of the two), which is inserted into the vagina to absorb menstrual blood during a woman’s monthly period. While we tend to think of tampons as a relatively modern invention, the first tampon prototype was invented by the ancient Egyptians, which they fashioned out of “softened” papyrus (ouch!).

In the Fifth Century B.C., Hippocrates wrote about an ancient Greek version of the tampon, made out of lint wrapped around a small piece of wood (even louder ouch!). Even Physicians in the medieval Islamic world described the use of tampons, often for contraceptive purposes. Other materials that have been allegedly used in early tampons have included: wool, paper, vegetable fibers, sponges and even grass.

The modern tampon (with applicator) was invented in 1929 by Dr. Earle Haas, who had set out to invent a tampon that could effectively be mass produced. He obtained the patent on his tampon in 1931, and subsequently sold it to Gertrude Tendrich, who went on to found the Tampax Company for the mass production of the lengthwise expanding tampon.

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