Soap

by: Helena ( I am now doing vaccines)

__ SOAP THROUGHOUT THE AGES __

For centuries, the old-fashioned method of making soap out of wood ashes, water, animal fat, and salt, served cultures the world over. In this two-step method, ashes, soaked and heated in water, make a harsh solution called [|lye]. When mixed with [|lard], the lye creates soap, through a process known as saponification.
 * WHAT**

//Wise Geek//

= WHO = Some random Babylonian people created the first version of soap made of wood ashes combined with animal fats. The second version of soap was created by the French (made of olive oil and scented soap) after having it introduced to them by the Italians. James Bolsover invented ivory soap, which is the hard soap that we use currently to wash ourselves.//The Straddle Creek, About.com, Notable Ancestors.com//

= WHY = Soap was invented to decrease the spreading of bacteria and to increase sanitary lifestyles and personal hygiene. // Helena's Brain.org // = WHEN = It is unclear when exactly the first version of soap was made, but ancient writings suggest that it was made sometime during the time of the Phoenicians or ancient Babylonians. Then soap was purely a mixture of ashes and animal fat, boiled in water. Another version of soap was produced by the Italians, made of goat fat in the 1300s. Then the French creates a version of soap made of olive oil and scented soap in the 1300s to 1500s.

= WHERE = A soap like material was discovered by archaeologists during an excavation of ancient Babylon inside clay cylinders.

= Timeline = 2500 BC: Sumerian clay tablets mention soap. 2000 BC: The Bible speaks of soap. "If I wash myself with snow water and cleanse my hands with soap...." 79 AD: Mt. Vesuvius erupts and buries the city of Pompeii in ash. Later excavations reveal a large, fully equipped soap factory. 467 AD: The fall of Rome and the beginning of a millennia of dirt in greater Europe. Bathing is considered dangerous and decried as immodest, unless prescribed for medicinal purposes. 1300’s: Italy introduces goat tallow soap to France. Over the next 200 years, France develops castile soap, made with olive oil, and scented soap. 1500's: France introduces England to its discoveries. 16-1700's: The American colonies gain wealth through exporting soap ash and fat to England. 1622: James I of England grants a soapmaker the privilege of producing 3000 tons of soap each year, all for the bargain price of $100,000 each of those years. And folks, that's 24 million 4-ounce bars of soap. 1711: England taxes soapmakers 1 penny per pound of soap produced. 1787: The US Constitution is written. 1791: Nicolas LeBlanc discovers a process to manufacture caustic soda (lye) cheaply and in large quantities. Raw materials are no longer needed from the colonies. 1806: William Colgate of New York founds his soap establishment. 1816: England raises the soap tax to three pennies per pound produced. 1823: M.E. Chevreul deciphers the underlying principles of saponification, noting differences between the fats and oils useful in soapmaking. 1833: England's government lowers the soap tax to 1 1/2 penny per pound produced. 1853: England repeals the soap tax, which was bringing in $5 million annually. Soap is now affordable to the masses and large scale production begins. 1867: The typewriter is invented. 1903: Wilbur and Orville Wright take flight. 1941-45: World War II opens the door to widespread use of synthetic detergents. 1953: The production of synthetic detergents exceeds the production of soap. Today: Soap and detergents are a multi-billion dollar industry. //The Straddle Creek, About,// = How it is Used Today = Soap is still used today for washing and bathing. Soap has created a more hygienic and sanitary lifestyle for the human race.//Helena//, //Wikipedia, Wise Geek// **Webliography**[|wiki.answers.com] [|The Straddle Creek]