The History of Menstruation

The first recorded attempts to sell disposable pads date to the 1890s. The key technological breakthrough came during the First World War. Kimberly Clark used a new material called Cellucotton to make bandages. It was made of wood pulp, it was much cheaper than cotton and far more absorbent. To everyone's surprise, Kimberly Clark had a hit. Men may have been mystified in the 1920s by the 1930s when some felt under siege. But soon there was nothing secretive about the way they were marketed.