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Feb 20, 600
Phoenicians
Made soap by boiling animal fat with alkali in wod ashes. Probably only used for washing clothes. -
Feb 23, 1300
1300AD
France becomes the leader in soap making, using imported oils rather than animal tallow -
1622
King James I grants special privileges to the artisans in the soap making industry. -
1630
Colonial Americans, faced with a shortage of soap from England, begin producing soap in the home. Cooking grease, animal tallow and ashes were stored and yearly were cooked into soap for the following year. -
1730
Tallow Chandlers and Soap Boilers appeared in the early 18th century. They would go door to door buying grease and tallow, later to sell it back as soap, door to door. -
Classical Times
Used perfume oils for bathing and used a metal tools to scrape the skin free of oil and dirt. The romans used clay called sapo, which is where the word soap comes from. The romans also used animal fat and plant ashes. -
1780
Mass distribution began in local and outlying areas to General Stores, Stage Coach stops, and hotels. The art of producing soap in the home was waning. -
1837
William Proctor, a candle maker; and James Gamble, a soap maker, formed a partnership to manufacture and sell their products. The two men were responsible for producing and distributing low cost, high quality soap products. -
1930
With the Great Depression, distribution was failing; money was in short supply, so homeowners began the search for soap recipes. It was during this period that daytime Radio dramas were introduced to the America home. Today, we know them as "The Soap Opera"! -
1940
The Government was buying all of the commercially available grease to produce glycerin, used to produce weapons. This produced another shortage of soap, and home production was still strong -
1950
A boom economy makes consumable goods readily available again. The automobile was a fixture, TV's were everywhere and the art of soap making begins to decline. -
100AD
Pliney the Elder writes about soapy dyes used to cleanse and dye hair. -
800AD
Soap making becomes recognized as an art in Italy and Spain -
Babylonians
2800 BC Clay cylinders containing a soap like substance. -
Purifying Oils
recorded on Hebrew Tablets, mention the use of cleaning aids, possibly ashes, limestone and oil mixed together to make the first recorded "soap".
