The first Q-tip was invented in 1920 by the Polish-born American Leo Gerstenzang. He noticed that his wife was covering a toothpick with cotton in order to clean her baby's ears. Obviously, due to the toothpicks pointed end, this was extremely dangerous for the child, with even one wrong move resulting in a serious ear wound. Therefore, Leo decided to create a much safer cotton swab for the same purpose.
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