I Wonder (Part 7)

I wonder who invented the toothbrush?

William Addis.

The first toothbrush was made by William Addis in 1780. Addis was an English entrepreneur born in 1734 and died in 1808. William Addis made his first toothbrush whilst in jail. He made it with an animal bone from that he had eaten, and he revived some bristles from one of the guards. He drilled a hole into the bone and glued the bristles into the whole. After his release he started a business that would sell the toothbrushes he had built. He soon became very rich but died in 1808 and left his business to his eldest son, Also named William. By 1840 toothbrushes were being mass-produced in England, France, Germany and Japan.