You may shower daily to stay clean and fresh, but humans haven’t always been so hygienic.
In fact, Europeans avoided bathing during the Middle Ages. At the time, it was believed that water opened up pores in the skin and allowed diseases to enter the body. Maintaining a layer of sweat on your skin was thought to protect you from illness.
In the early days of the United States, Americans were stinky too. That began to change in the 1860s, after a French scientist named Louis Pasteur discovered that many illnesses are caused by germs. Washing with soap became an important way to keep these germs away.
As America continued to grow, these new ideas about hygiene shaped the way cities were built. All new buildings had running water, and nearly every home had a bathtub. Cleanliness came to be regarded as very American.
And then came Edna Murphey and her new product, Odorono.