Tampon is French for 'plug'

When first trying to decide on a single event in the history of Women, I started thinking of all the things that, as a woman, I could not live without: voting, chocolate, the Pill, Lady Gaga. Then I realized that the only absolute need that I possessed simply because I am a woman is the tampon.

Tampons allow women to live ordinary lives 31 days a month. They let life go on as normal even during the most annoying, hormone-ridden times. Plus, because they are so important, they are ubiquitous enough that you are almost never out of reach of one. Vending machines, girlfriends, deep, forgotten pockets of your purse, and even strangers in the bathroom will always have your back.

Thus, my nomination for important event in the history of Women is the invention of the tampon. The only complication, however, is that, as incredible as it sounds, tampons were first used by the ancient Egyptians. This leaves the date of the event fairly sketchy (and basically indeterminable), but that does not affect the levels of my appreciation or devotion in the slightest.

Egyptian women originally used softened papyrus to make their tampons. Since then almost any kind of soft material imaginable has been utilized to stop the flow: wool, sponge, paper, cotton, even grass. Most sold in the U.S. today are made from either cotton, rayon, or a combination of the two. I personally am a devout fan of Seventh Generation's 100% organic cotton, chlorine-free tampons. And as an added bonus, they come without applicators, which create a lot of guilt-inducing trash.

Modern tampons as we know them, basically ones with removal strings, were patented by Dr Earle Haas in 1931. He sold the rights to Gertrude Tendrich, who began making them by hand on her sewing machine. Her home business grew very quickly and is today known as Tampax. By the early 1940s, tampons were being mass produced and distributed around the country.

Menstrual cups were patented just one year after tampons, in 1932, but have taken a much longer time to catch on in popularity. They can be made of latex, silicone, or rubber. The most famous American brand, DivaCup, is made of silicone. More and more women are beginning to use cups instead of tampons to cut down on both waste and cost. Some cups are said to last for up to 10 years without needing replacement.

Not having access to tampons would literally change my life. And there are millions of women around the world who do not have access to any kind of menstrual amenity. In fact, many girls are forced to miss school every single time they have their period due to this lack. The average girl in Kenya has to miss a month's worth of classes each year due to a lack of tampons or pads. Tampax and Always have set up a fund to raise money these products for girls; to find out how to help go here.

Tampons have enabled women to live normal lives during their periods and have improved my life immensely. Summer camp and swim team would have been horrible if it had not been for those inventive Ancient Egyptians.