21 Condom Facts That Will Blow . . . Your Mind

Updated on 9/15/2017 at 4:45 PM

As a wise woman once said, "the condom is the glass slipper of our generation." OK, so it was Helena Bonham Carter's character in Fight Club, but still, she makes a very good point. Condoms are AWESOME. They promote safe sex, and nowadays they come in all different types and sizes for everyone's own personal pleasure. Seriously, if you want a pretty pizza package, you've got it. What you probably didn't know is that prophylactics have been around for hundreds of years and have evolved with the times. Read on for some mind-blowing condom facts that will remind you not only how important safe sex is, but with a quick rip and roll on, how easy it is to have!

Condoms make sex 10,000 times safer.

Yes, you read that correctly. When it comes to preventing HIV, condoms make sex 10,000. Times. Safer.

They have been around since as early as 10,000 BCE.

Cave paintings at Combarelles in France indicate that condoms were used as far back as 10,000-13,000 BCE. The images depict a man covering the tip of his penis with something similar to a condom — most likely made from animal bladders, intestines, or skin.

Condoms can hold 1-2 liters of water.

Going camping? Take a condom as a backup water container . . . you might want to bring a few extras if your partner is coming with you.

You can use condoms for oral sex.

Condoms can prevent the transmission of HIV and other STDs when used for oral sex. Though the risk of passing on HIV to someone through oral sex is lower than that of vaginal or anal sex, it is still possible — so wrap it unless you and your partner(s) have been tested!

The first known published tests with prophylactic condoms were in the 1500s.

They were conducted by an Italian named Gabriele Fallopius. He claimed to have invented a condom made of linen and performed the tests on 1,100 men using his invention. None of the subjects contracted syphilis.

Less than half of high school students are taught how to use a condom.

Only 39 percent of American high school students are taught how to correctly use a condom in their health classes. This is a PROBLEM.

The guy who made your tires patented condoms first.

Charles Goodyear — as in the tire guy — obtained the first condom patent in 1844 for his work in vulcanizing rubber.

Trojan hires a "bedroom panel" to test its condoms.

Trojan's condom developer and chief principle scientist told business media and tech brand Fast Company that the company approaches the development of its items like a consumer products company would, saying that "each product spends up to three years in development and goes through rigorous testing with consumers at the early stages. The vibrators and condoms, for example, first go through a 'bedroom panel' with 20 to 30 couples. That panel yields design refinements for the next testing stage of 100 to 150 couples." Where can we sign up?

Two condoms are NOT better than one.

Some people think that using two condoms will increase their effectiveness, but in fact, double bagging increases the likelihood that the condoms will tear due to friction. Torn condom = exposure to diseases and swimming sperm headed straight for the baby maker.

Condom usage does NOT affect the quality of a woman's orgasm.

"Women are equally likely to experience orgasm with or without a condom, dispelling myths that condoms don't make for good sex," Debby Herbenick, a research scientist and author of Because It Feels Good, told Woman's Day. "In fact, condoms may help a couple spend more time having sex, as a man doesn't have to 'pull out' quickly if he's worried about ejaculating too soon," she said.

Durex created the first condom company website.

In 1997, it made condoms available with just a click.

The Danish word for condom is "svangerskabsforebyggendemiddel."

The more common term for a condom in Danish is "gummimand," which translates to "rubber man," but the official word is the 30-lettered "svangerskabsforebyggendemiddel."

You can't be "too big" for a condom.

Selling condoms in extralarge sizes is basically a marketing ploy. As Swedish pop star Zara Larsson proved, a guy would have to be unrealistically large in the penis department for a condom to be too small. So that excuse is officially off the table, guys.

Condoms have a shelf life of approximately 4 years.

If stored properly in a cool, dry place, lubricated and nonlubricated condoms expire after about four to five years. All packages should have an expiration date on them.

Male condoms aren't the only kind of condoms.

Women also have the option of wearing a female condom, which is a pouch inserted into the vagina that acts as a barrier against sperm and also reduces the risk of sexually transmitted infections. Planned Parenthood even offers a helpful how-to for those interested in using another form of inexpensive and easily accessible birth control.

There is a Guinness World Record for the longest condom chain.

The chain of condoms is 10,726 feet, six inches, and was achieved by Population Services International in Bucharest, Romania, in 2007. The chain was tied together by 1,683 participants with Love Plus condoms, a brand who at the time donated 100 percent of its sales to fund programs working to prevent HIV and AIDS.

Condoms work . . . most of the time.

The failure rate of a male condom as a birth control method is about 18 percent. Some reasons for failure include improper application, lack of lubrication causing tearing, and removal of condom before ejaculation. Keep it on till the very end, people!

They can actually boost vaginal health.

Apart from the obvious — aka preventing sexually transmitted diseases — condoms can potentially improve vaginal health by increasing levels of "friendly" bacteria and preventing minor infections down there.

The US military uses condoms . . . but not just for sex.

Unexpected condom uses that prove helpful in the military: to stop bleeding, to prevent dirt from getting into wounds, to use in emergencies as surgical gloves, to be placed over the barrel of a gun to stop sand and dirt from jamming the weapon, and as an emergency water canteen.

You cannot, we repeat, canNOT reuse condoms.

You'd be surprised how many sexually active people believe this to be true, but condoms are meant to be used once and then discarded.