Children are wonderful, they pass on our legacies, and bring joy into our lives. That said, we don't always want to conceive every time (or even any time) we get busy. That is where some great inventions come in...
The condom has been around since at least the 15th century, when they were made of linen soaked in chemicals and allowed to dry. Ouch. Condoms were the privilege of the upper classes, due to cost and education, and were first invented to protect from syphilis. The Catholic Church first raged against them in 1605 when men began using them as contraception. The United States and almost every European country was against condoms for two reasons: first, contraception was seen as an evil and second, venereal disease was seen as a just punishment for sexual transgressions.
After rubber became a cheap option, condom use skyrocketed. Even though the first rubber condoms were as thick as a bicycle tire (!), they were hugely popular, especially with soldiers. Governments provided condoms for soldiers and saw STD rates plummet. Condoms were being used by over half of sexually active men in America and were the most popular method until the Pill came along (and we'll learn more about THAT in a later post). Still, condom sales increased steadily and new technology comes out every year...now there's the female condom, customized condoms, plastic condoms, pre-teen condoms, ribbed condoms...what could be next? Condoms with laser light shows?
