1. Ancient Sheaths, 1,000 B.C.
Aside from the "pulling out" and rhythm methods, the ancient Egyptians used linen cloth to protect against sexually transmitted disease (opens in new tab). In addition, Egyptian women used crocodile dung and honey as spermicides (opens in new tab). (Wonder what they used to clear up the fungal infection that ensued?)
2. Painful Protection, 1400s
Fast forward, and it seemed as if cultures were mimicking our modern-day condoms, like in China where they covered the head of the penis with lamb intestines or oiled silk paper (opens in new tab) (kind of resembles a modern condom, right?). Except in Japan, people used condoms, named 'glans' which were made out of animal horns, fine leather, and tortoise shell (opens in new tab) (Kill. Me. Now.).
3. The Rubber, 1839
Goodbye slimy animal intestines on the "d" and thank you to Charles Goodyear of Goodyear Tires, who discovered how to create condoms in mass quantities. Goodyear's invention was better than the former condom choices of mammal bladders and shells, the Goodyear protector smelled like rubber (surprise) (opens in new tab) and had seams running down the sides like tires. Fun fact: This is where the term "rubbers" comes from.
4. The Latex Savior, 1912
Julius Fromm from Poland took Goodyear's rubber condom model and perfected it. He created glass molds that resembled a penis and dipped them into a rubber solution, which he later vulcanized in an oven. The condoms came packed with a slip of paper to hand off to the pharmacist, which read, "Please discreetly hand me a packet of three Fromm's Act (opens in new tab)."
5. The Fun Condom, 2014
Modern condoms are like Skittles: They come in an array of colors from red to yellow with a variety of flavors like strawberry to grape. There are hundreds of textures from ribbed, studded, and dotted to heighten pleasure — some even have an attached vibrating device. On that note, enjoy some safe sex and "taste the rainbow."
Related:
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5 Iconic Bobs That Have Made History (opens in new tab)
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