who invented tampons

The modern-day tampon was invented by Dr. Earle Cleveland Haas, an osteopathic physician, in 1931. He developed the tampon with a cardboard applicator to make it more sanitary and convenient for women to use. Haas patented his invention, called the "catamenial device," in 1931 and sold the patent in 1933 to Gertrude Tenderich, who founded the Tampax company and popularized the product. While the idea of tampon-like devices dates back thousands of years with various materials used globally, Earle Haas is credited with inventing the modern tampon design with an applicator that is still recognizable today.