It's True!

In a bit of revisionist history, the handkerchief was invented by John A Kimberly


Okay seriously, Jeremy...one of these days, we're going to get sued over these Revisionist History bits.


I'm just providing some amusing history facts for people who may not be aware.


Your use of the word "facts" is troubling.


Didn't Napoleon once say, "History is a myth men agree to believe?"


Didn't he also say he made all of his Generals out of mud?


Yes, but that's beside the point entirely. The primary point of today's Sametime Status comes from the fact that I watched some movies recently...and more than one of them involved the use of a handkerchief. It seemed a little out of the ordinary that these things would show up as often as they did because frankly, nobody uses them anymore. The reason for that being, of course, that handkerchiefs are pretty gross.

Think about it, but not in great detail. You need to wipe something up or blow your nose...so you pull a piece of cloth out of your pocket, take care of your business, then promptly return it to your pocket. Whatever's now in your handkerchief is now oozing out into your pants and onto your leg. Why was this a good idea?

Also suppose later in the same day, you needed a repeat action. You pull out the already sullied cloth, open it to hopefully some portion that was not directly used, and still end up spreading your previously-expelled sputum all over some other surface or face. Eww.

Or was this all part of some dastardly plot? Could this have been another cutthroat self-fulfilling business prophecy? As it turns out, the inventor of the portable handkerchief was none other than John A. Kimberly, who went into business with his long-time friend Charles B. Clark to create the Kimberly-Clark corporation, inventor of Kleenex disposable facial tissues.

That's right. The handkerchief was invented to display to the world the need for disposable tissues. Once diseases started spreading, the world was first made aware of Bird Flu, people started demanding a more sanitary solution. Mr. Kimberly to the rescue with his facial tissue company, and the rest...as they say...is history.


Once the court papers start coming in over this, we're all history.