Archeologists have found traces of ethyl alcohol (the type found in those fermented beverages we like so much) have been found in pottery dating at least as far back as the Neolithic period. With that said, we humans have had a very long time to figure out ways to use alcohol to make our lives easier, cleaner, and somewhat less sober.
One byproduct of this long relationship with the stuff is that nearly every household has a semi-clear plastic bottle of rubbing alcohol sitting in a closet or medicine cabinet somewhere. Typically, the idea is to use miracle liquid to disinfect cuts and scrapes.
But the uses for rubbing alcohol go way beyond first aid. From concocting DIY household cleaners to defrosting window to staring a quick fire, you’ll see that bottle of rubbing alcohol in a completely different light by the end of this article.
Image: Jonathan Gross, Flickr