The first known documentation of the “condom” was that of King Minos of Crete[1] in about 3000 B.C. King Minos, who ruled Knossos, was a figure of history from the Bronze Age.
The first condoms
The first documented use of a condom in Europe was in 1564 by the anatomist Fallopia (who also gave his name to fallopian tubes). In the 16th century condoms were used primarily to prevent STDs. Syphilis, for example, was often fatal and raged through Europe for over 300 years.
Skin condoms were still more popular though, because they were cheaper and the early rubber ones tended to fall off. In 1920 came latex, made using a process with rubber suspended in water. Latex condoms were cheaper and easier to produce and so replaced skin condoms in popularity.
After the World War II, condom sales continued to grow. From 1955–1965, 42% of Americans of reproductive age relied on condoms for birth control. In Britain from 1950–1960, 60% of married couples used condoms.
Condoms could be purchased from barbers, madames at brothels, itinerant peddlers, and tavern keepers. Before 1840 they were too expensive — costing a dollar when a week's pay was only $14 — to become widely used for either disease protection or contraception.
Prior to the 1820s, condoms enjoyed a long history, not so much as contraceptive devices, but as a means to prevent the transmission of disease. The late 18th century saw the establishment of two shops in London devoted entirely to the sale of condoms.
The condoms used in Ancient Rome were made of linen and animal (sheep and goat) intestine or bladder. It is possible that they used muscle tissue from dead combatants but no hard evidence for this exists. The archaic Djukas[1] tribe that inhabited New Guinea developed its own idea of the condom.
In the 1500s, Japanese men wore condoms made from tortoise shells and animal horns. Other materials included oiled paper and animal intestines and bladders. Sexy! The Italian scientist Gabriele Falloppio, for whom the Fallopian tubes are named, invented a linen condom to combat a syphilis epidemic.
Introduced in May 1950, the oral contraceptive pill is a medical innovation that has dramatically transformed generations. Women have gained incredible freedom and reproductive autonomy.
It wasn't until the 16th century that the concept of condoms was published, when anatomist Gabriele Falloppio referred to the use of chemical-soaked linen tied around the shaft with a ribbon to help prevent the spread of syphilis.
A third of men and a quarter of U.S. women use condoms when they have sex, a CDC survey finds. A third of U.S. men say they use condoms at least some of the time when they have sex, a new government survey shows.
Condoms made from animal intestines—usually those of sheep, calves, or goats—remained the main style through the mid-1800s. Used for both pregnancy- and disease-prevention, these condoms stayed in place with a ribbon that men tied around the bases of their penises.
In popular tradition, the invention and naming of the condom came to be attributed to an associate of England's King Charles II, one "Dr. Condom" or "Earl of Condom".
1953 Biologists John Rock and Gregory Pincus team up to develop the birth control pill, funded by two million dollars from philanthropist Katharine Dexter McCormick.
The Oldest Methods
Around 1850 B.C. Egyptian women mixed acacia leaves with honey or used animal dung to make vaginal suppositories to prevent pregnancy. The Greeks in the 4th century B.C. used natural ointments made with olive and cedar oil as spermicides. A popular Roman writer advocated abstinence.
The oral contraceptive pill was approved for distribution in Australia in 1961, upon the written prescription of a medical practitioner. Access was therefore under the control of doctors, and dependent on their attitudes, particularly with regard to prescribing for unmarried women.
In an era long before chemical or hormonal contraceptive technology, Civil War-era Americans used the same methods known for centuries throughout the early modern world to prevent pregnancy. These, of course, included the ancient methods of coitus interruptus—or withdrawal, and the rhythm method.
Many condoms are latex-based, too. Luckily, there are plenty of latex-free options available. Even if you're personally fine with latex condoms, think about this — you may still need to consider latex-free options for the sake of your partner.
Why are Condoms Called French Letters? The term 'French letter' refers to 18th-century French condoms made from animal intestines. These condoms were sometimes referred to as 'Lettres de cachet', which literally translates as 'letters of seal' in English.
The fact that Vikings and people in the medieval ages didn't have condoms may not have had as much of an impact on the prevalence of these diseases as some would think.
The Ancient Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to use a sheath-like contraceptive that more closely resembled the modern condom. Linen sheaths were used specifically to prevent tropical diseases like bilharzia.
People Wore Them On Their Clothes As Keepsakes
Again, in the Victorian period, men would cut off the pubic hair of their conquests and display them on accessories such as hats in order to brag about their sexual endeavours through the art of fashion.