To the Poland

Today I am off up the Poland and hooray for that.

Along with the old jazzing, Poland's chief export has been their inventionness. Yes, always thinking and a-dreaming up new stuff, the Polands.

Hence I will be reporting on their clever way with brains and stuff during my visit to their popular salt mines and their other mind-numbingly grey, dismally-oppressive, architectural wonders of great brilliance.

We start with the Q-Tip.

In 1923, Leo Gerstenzang invented the cotton swab or Q-Tips. His product, which he named "Baby Gays", went on to become one of the most widely-sold brand names, where "Q" as in "Q-tip" stood for "Q" for "Quick get that wax out".

There are many dull and poorly-sourced anecdotes about how Mr. Gerstenzang came to create this invention.

He founded a company, called the Leo Gerstenzang Infant Novelty Company, to market his new product. In 1926, he changed the name of the product from Baby Gays to Q-Tips Baby Gays. Eventually the Baby Gays part was dropped and the product was simply called Q-Tips.

Though commonly used as an ear cleaner, doctors today do not advise using the Q-Tip for ears because of sensitivity of the eardrum.

So not actually that much use then, but still Poland's biggest revenue-earner around the world.

Tomorrow, the creation of a new mounting for the ballast tank funnels.

Can't wait.