If you're a channel flipper like me, and you pause frequently in the general arena of the Discovery Channel, then you may be familiar with a little show called How It's Made. I landed there this afternoon, and boy, I was not disappointed, because I enjoyed a five-minute lesson on how sanitary pads are made.
Yes, an even, engaging male voice informed me that they were invented as a result of World War I, and that the cellulose and something else I can't remember are mixed and molded into pads of different shapes, thicknesses, and sizes depending on the rate of menstrual flow. I watched the machines at work in total fascination, and then that blessed man informed me that to put on the pad, one has to remove the adhesive tabs from the back of the pad, and from the sides, which are called "wings."
All humor aside, I was pretty fascinated by the machines that do this essential work...so many parts. It reminded me of Edward Scissorhands' house, or the make-breakfast machine in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Whoever designed that machine, I hope he or she gets drinks bought for him or her on a regular basis.