Major moments

1888

The first disposable sanitary pads, created by Southall Brothers & Barclay, go on sale in the UK. They are made from a fibrous wool rectangle and pinned to underwear.

1890S

Victorian women begin to clip cloths to elasticated, suspender-like ‘sanitary belts’ fastened around their waists. They appear in advertising for menstrual care up until the 1970s.

1931

Modern-day tampons reach the UK after being invented by Dr Earle Haas, who was inspired to create the compressed cotton creation after seeing his wife’s struggle with pads.

1970

Are You There God? It’s Me,

Margaret by Judy Blume is published in the UK by Pan Macmillan. It’s the first book to offer an honest depiction of puberty and periods for girls and women.

1985

Actor Courteney Cox utters the word ‘period’ on national television in the US for the first time when she appears in an advert for Tampax. It was previously referred to as ‘time of the month’.

2002

Menstrual cups start to go mainstream with the arrival of the Uk-manufactured Mooncup made from silicone. Early versions, made since the 1930s, were fashioned from latex rubber.

2017

Bodyform releases the first UK advert showing menstrual blood, with the tagline, ‘Periods are normal. Showing them should be too’. Previously they had used blue liquid.

2018

Scotland becomes the first nation in the world to announce legislation to tackle period poverty. The bill makes menstrual products free for those who are in need.

2019

The period emoji (a little red drop) is introduced on Android and IOS smartphones – a small act that further normalises menstrual musings in daily digital communication.

2021

The UK abolishes the so-called ‘tampon tax’ on sanitary products in the same week as leaving the EU. They had previously been sold with a VAT of 5%.