Leo Gerstenzang

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Leo Gerstenzang (?-) was a Polish-Jewish American (who also had German ancestry) who in 1923 invented the cotton swab or Q-Tips. His product, which he named "Babby Gays", went on to become the most widely-sold brand name, "Q-tip", where Q stood for quality. There are many anecdotes about how Mr. Gerstenzang came to create this invention. One goes like this:

One day in 1923, Leo Gerstenzang found himself watching his wife applying cotton wads to toothpicks in an attempt to reach hard-to-clean areas. Gerstenzang, inspired, soon produced a one-piece cotton swab. Doctors today do not advise using the Q-Tip for ears because of sensitivity of the eardrum.^{[citation needed]}

The science quad at Brandeis University is named after Gerstenzang, who donated the funding for its construction.