On this date in 1865, William Sheppard of New York patented liquid soap. 10 things you might not know about soap:
Soap is made from fat and an alkali, possibly lye. The soaps used at home have the formula (RCO2−)M+, where M is Na (Sodium) or K (Potassium).
The word soap comes from Mount Sapo, a mountain where sacrifices were made by the ancient Romans. Animal fats and the ash from sacrificial fires got washed into the river which made a soapy mixture, which people soon discovered was great for washing their clothes in.
Soap has been around since at least 3000 BC when the Sumerians used mixtures of animal fats, ash and water to clean dishes and wool (in preparation for dyeing). By 1500 BC a similar mixture was being used to treat Skin diseases.
Soap is thought to have arrived in England around the 13th century, but like the Sumerians, medieval Brits used it to prepare cloth for dyeing rather than for washing themselves. London, Bristol and Coventry were the locations of the soap industry at the time.
The word for the process of making soap is saponification.
If you’re on a budget, don’t buy Qatar soap, produced by a family-run business in Lebanon. Each bar is infused with Gold and Diamond powder and a single bar will set you back $2,800.
The word soap is not used in any Shakespeare play but it is mentioned twice in the King James Bible.
Soap manufacturers were the first to sponsor Radio shows, usually dramas, which gave us the term “soap opera”.
In 2019, Dutch artist Julian Hetzel made soap made from human fat (sourced from liposuction patients). It was considerably less pricey than Qatar soap at $35 a bar.
Nitroglycerin, an ingredient used to make dynamite, is a waste product of soap production.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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