• An Egyptian drawing of a condom being worn has been found to be 3,000 years old. It is unknown; however, if the Egyptian pictured wearing the device intended to use it for contraception, or for ritual purposes.
• In 16th century Italy, Gabrielle Fallopius authored the first-known published description of condom use for disease prevention. He recommended soaking cloth sheaths in a chemical solution and allowing them to dry prior to use.
• The oldest condoms found (rather than just pictures or descriptions) are from 1640, discovered in Dudley Castle in England. They were made of animal intestine, and it is believed they were used for STD prevention.
• In 19th century Japan, both leather condoms and condoms made of tortoise shells or horns were available.
• The rubber vulcanization process was patented by Charles Goodyear in 1844, and the first rubber condom was produced in 1855. These early rubber condoms were 1-2 mm thick and had seams down the sides. Although they were reusable, these early rubber condoms were also expensive.
• Distribution of condoms in the United States was limited by passage of the Comstock Law in 1873. This law prohibited transport through the postal service of any instructional material or devices intended to prevent pregnancy. Condoms were available by prescription, although legally they were only supposed to be prescribed to prevent disease rather than pregnancy. The Comstock Law remained in force until it was largely overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1936.
• In 1912, a German named Julius Fromm developed a new manufacturing technique for condoms: dipping glass molds into the raw rubber solution. This enabled the production of thinner condoms with no seams. Fromm's Act was the first branded line of condoms, and Fromms is still a popular line of condoms in Germany today.
• By the 1930s, the manufacturing process had improved to produce single-use condoms almost as thin and inexpensive as those currently available.
• Condoms were not made available to U.S. soldiers in World War I, and a significant number of returning soldiers carried sexually transmitted infections. During World War II, however, condoms were heavily promoted to soldiers, with one film exhorting "Don't forget — put it on before you put it in." In part because condoms were readily available, soldiers found a number of non-sexual uses for the devices, many of which continue to be utilized to this day.

History of Condoms gathered from the following sources:
1. A History of Birth Control Methods. Planned Parenthood (June 2002).
2. Special Topic: History of Condom Use. Population Action International (2002).
3. Rubbers haven't always been made of rubber. Billy Boy: The excitingly different condom.

Link to CDC fact sheet on Condoms: http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/condoms.pdf