The History of Bubbles...

   Let me pen down with some monumental facts about Bubbles. Bubbles are an incredible natural phenomenon that teaches us a variety of subjects, right from physics to geometry. They are basically made up of air that is surrounded by a thin film of water. Bubble Blowing is a form of art that never gets old, irrespective of what age you are. It is also considered as one of the oldest and most popular of children’s play interests. This is one of the timeless pastimes.

   The history of bubbles dates back to the ancient times. The earliest depiction of blowing bubbles was seen on an Etruscan vase in the Louvre in Paris. The whole concept of bubble came into the minds of two men. Andrew Pears and Thomas J. Barratt who were the two dignified personalities that have led to the commercial success of a London based firm A. & F. Pears for nearly two hundred years. Andrew Pears was a Cornish man who has arrived in London in the year 1989 as a barber. But by his sharp intellectuality, he has recognized the potentiality of the purity and softness of soap and after much trial and error, an idea hit upon his mind of removing all the impurities and before adding the aroma of English Garden flowers, he refined the base soap. And later on, this became the image of Pears soap which is popular amongst the public today. For many, many years, other products were also manufactured alongside the transparent soap. But Andrew’s use of amber soap was successful all along. Andrew Pears along with his grandson, Francis Pears started their business of bubbles. They were tremendously successful and after three years, Andrew Pears took his retirement. Next to the throne comes, Thomas J. Barrat, the son-in-law of Francis Pears. He was an active and intelligent man who had revolutionized the entire distribution system of Andrew Pears within months. He used expensive and original schemes to hit the market and also, improved the sales performance. Within a short span of time, he had received a plethora of accolades for his achievements. Lillie Lantry, an extremely popular actress of the times had given Barratt a commendation for Pears soap. Amongst others include Sir Erasmus Wilson, Doctor Redwood and Henry Ward Beecher. Barrat is often referred to as the father of advertising firm and he had spent plentitude of money for the ‘Bubble Campaign’. The ‘Bubble Campaign’ started by Barratt had won the hearts of the masses.

   The best-remembered piece of publicity was the use of Sir John Everett Millais' painting 'Bubbles' as an advertisement for Pears. The model for 'Bubbles' was the artist's grandson, Willie. Over the years many new inventions took place, the world around us greatly evolved. But, bubbles have never lost their charm.

Round wonders...

    For as long as we can remember, we have all played with bubbles and they have always occupied a special place in our imagination. Be it their lighter than air presence or the sheer thought of them being there making the world around them a little bit more wonderful, children are always fascinated at the sight of bubbles blowing around.

   They are round, they glitter and when you touch them, they pop! It’s hard to imagine how this could ever fail to make anyone smile. But what adds to the amazement of bubbles is the amount of science that goes around the creation and sustenance of a single bubble.

   Have you ever wondered what makes a bubble round? What makes them form such a constant shape? Well the answer to that is simple physics. When you blow a bubble, the surface tension makes the thin film of soapy water form the smallest surface area that it can. It assumes the shape of an orb. If air wouldn’t have been blow within the soapy film, the soapy water would have continued to shrink down in size. And the shrinking would have gone on till it would have assumed the shape of a solid spherical droplet, resembling a raindrop.

   It is amazing what can be achieved with a little soapy water. Mother Nature is an artist herself. Her creations are seemingly beautiful and fundamentally complex. So, the next time you see a bubble, make sure you appreciate the beauty behind the bouncy wonder.

Bubbles...

   Bubbles...Fascinating creations that never fail to make people smile.
But what people don't quite understand is the amazing amount of science and know how behind the creation of these little spheres of air and water.

   Why are they round? How can they be? Why do I see colours in them? Numerous questions that many find themselves asking when they witness the sheer presence of these little spheres of delight. As a child everybody enjoyed blowing bubbles and playing with them. And inevitably they popped! Those were the memories that still bring a smile to everyone's faces now. And as time passed we all grew up and the childhood joy got lost somewhere in the space of time. But what many fail to realize is that sometimes the things that give us the most amount of pleasure aren't always the big, fancy and shiny things, but its the little, tiny and simple and often overlooked ones. Who would have thought bubbles would one day come to your rescue!

   So the next time when you feel the weight of things trying to crush you down, just take a moment and look around. Although there won't be any bubbles blowing your way, but then again, what's the use of that big brain of yours when it can't even imagine bubbles blowing around?

   Peace out!