Toothpaste trumps the Moon landings

My MOTHER was born in 1912 and when she was 90 I asked her what invention had the most effect on her. She gave it some thought and came up with Fairy Liquid. Before washing-up liquid was on the scene, doing the dishes involved soaking pans with soda and then washing with soap flakes. Her hands were often left sore and chapped. But a few drops of Fairy were all that was needed for sparkly plates and, as the advertising jingle claimed, her ‘hands that do dishes can feel soft as your face’. I was a teenager in the 1960s when computers were talked of and space travel had begun.

To be honest, I wasn’t particularly interested in either, especially after waiting for hours to see crackly TV pictures of Man’s first step on the Moon.

However, I do remember being impressed with Signal toothpaste and wondering how they managed to insert the red stripe!

I wonder if other readers have similar memories of seemingly insignificant inventions that have had the biggest impact on their lives.

Mrs Jane Grummitt, Shavington, Cheshire.