Prior to the beginning of the twentieth century, shaving was a nuisance, and sometimes even dangerous. That changed when King Camp Gillette (1855-1932) founded the Gillette Safety Razor Company in 1901 and began selling his safety razors with disposable blades two years later.

In his book The Man and His Wonderful Shaving Device---King C. Gillette, biographer Russell B. Adams, Jr. noted, "King C. Gillette had thought he might be remembered as one of history's social and economic reformers. Instead, he is recalled as the inventor of the safety razor, with its disposable blade and as the founder of the major American corporation that bears his name." One hundred years later, the Gillette Company and its name are known world-wide, and razors remain a necessary tool for maintaining personal grooming.

Early Life

King Camp Gillette was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, on January 5, 1855, the son of George Wolcott Gillette...