Part 1 of Essay
Soap is a surfactant, which acts as a link between water and dirt particles, decreasing surface tension in order to attract away dirt. Its beginning can be traced as far back as 2500 BC, where it is mentioned on Sumerian clay tablets, describing the use of soap to wash wool. Before that, plants with surfactant properties, ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... became a closely guarded, and much sought after secret. In 1622, King James I, granted a monopoly to a soapmaker for a staggering $100,000 a year! It was not until Queen Victoria repealed the soap tax in 1853 that soap became economically available to the average person, and cleanliness took a turn, once again, towards popularity. In Colonial America, during that period, the women made soap for their families. Commercial production of soap did not materialize until 1608, when several enterprising European so ....