<description>&lt;p&gt;Every time I use the subject of today’s episode, my husband is quick to point out how I shouldn’t. He loves to tell me about all the injuries this common household item causes, and as much as a lot of what I do depends on my hearing, I can’t help but continue to use it now and again. And I’m sure you do too.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;You’re listening to The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History of the Ordinary. I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind Cotton Swabs.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Let's get social!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;The Story Behind Discussion Group:&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheStoryBehind/"&gt;&lt;span style= "font-weight: 400;"&gt;TheStoryBehindPodcast.com/Facebook-Group&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;The Story Behind Facebook Page:&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a href= "https://www.facebook.com/StoryBehindPod/"&gt;&lt;span style= "font-weight: 400;"&gt;TheStoryBehindPodcast.com/Facebook-Page&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;The Story Behind on Instagram:&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a href= "https://www.instagram.com/storybehindpod/"&gt;&lt;span style= "font-weight: 400;"&gt;TheStoryBehindPodcast.com/Instagram&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; 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&lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Story Behind is also a Book!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;Find it on Amazon:&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a href="https://amzn.to/2FkbVU5"&gt;&lt;span style= "font-weight: 400;"&gt;https://amzn.to/2FkbVU5&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;span style= "font-weight: 400;"&gt;Kindle Version:&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a href= "https://amzn.to/2CAn9Dj"&gt;&lt;span style= "font-weight: 400;"&gt;https://amzn.to/2CAn9Dj&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sources&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.qtips.com/about/"&gt;&lt;span style= "font-weight: 400;"&gt;About - A Q-Tips Cotton Swab History - Qtips.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/20/we-have-a-q-tips-problem/"&gt; &lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;The strange life of Q-tips, the most bizarre thing people buy - The Washington Post&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iG8bAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=J0oEAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=4176,6014561&amp;hl=en"&gt; &lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;1927 Q-Tips ad&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;a href= "http://mentalfloss.com/article/70937/15-swab-worthy-facts-about-q-tips"&gt; &lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;15 Swab-Worthy Facts About Q-Tips - Mental Floss&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://earaudities.wordpress.com/2016/01/26/the-marketing-of-q-tips-a-brief-history/"&gt; &lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;The Marketing of Q-Tips—A Brief History - Ear Audites&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.livescience.com/59069-cotton-swabs-ear-injuries-kids.html"&gt; &lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;Cotton Swabs Send 34 Kids to the ER Every Day - Live Science&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/what-a-new-study-on-cleaning-your-ears-with-q-tips-should-teach-every-entreprene.html"&gt; &lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;What a New Study on Cleaning Your Ears With Q-Tips Should Teach Every Entrepreneur - Inc.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;span style= "font-weight: 400;"&gt;​&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.menshealth.com/health/a19542654/why-sticking-qtips-in-ear-feels-so-good/"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;Why It Feels So Damn Good to Stick a Q-Tip In Your Ear - Men’s Health&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qkbya3/just-how-bad-is-my-q-tip-habit"&gt; &lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;Just How Bad Is My Q-Tip Habit? - Vice.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.rd.com/health/beauty/q-tips-uses/"&gt;&lt;span style= "font-weight: 400;"&gt;17 Genius Uses for Q-Tips You’ll Want to Use All the Time - Reader’s Digest&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/14-ways-you-never-thought-to-use-q-tips-51354"&gt; &lt;span style="font-weight: 400;"&gt;14 Ways You Never Thought to Use Q-Tips - BobVila.com&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt;</description>

The Story Behind

Emily Prokop

Cotton Swabs

AUG 10, 20198 MIN
The Story Behind

Cotton Swabs

AUG 10, 20198 MIN

Description

Every time I use the subject of today’s episode, my husband is quick to point out how I shouldn’t. He loves to tell me about all the injuries this common household item causes, and as much as a lot of what I do depends on my hearing, I can’t help but continue to use it now and again. And I’m sure you do too.

You’re listening to The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History of the Ordinary. I’m your host, Emily Prokop, and this is The Story Behind Cotton Swabs.

Let's get social! Support the Show — Become an Executive Producer
  • $1 Patreon Executive Producers — Extra monthly episode and thank you on an upcoming episode of The Story Behind.
  • $5 Patreon Executive Producers — Benefits of $1 Executive Producers + Access to the MUSE series as it unfolds.
  • Click to Support: TheStoryBehindPodcast.com/Patreon
The Story Behind is also a Book! Sources