Did you know a Little Falls woman was instrumental in the development of Clorox?

Lois Wing Burrell is credited for the discovery of hypochlorite solution, now known as Clorox. Here's her story:

Lois Watson Wing was born on August 24th in 1887 and grew up in Ithaca. After high school, she enrolled at Cornell, where she studied bacteriology. She met Loomis Burrell of Little Falls, whose father developed one of the first automated milking machines. Lois became involved in this project as a researcher from Cornell. She worked to determine how to sterilize the rubber hoses and milking machines.

Lois Wing's research and sanitation for the device led to a major breakthrough in the dairy industry, allowing more cows to be safely milked at the same time.

This research led to what we now know as Clorox.

Lois Wing and Loomis Burrell were married in 1912, they first lived at the Overlook Estate, and then moved to their home on East Main Street, built by Loomis's maternal grandfather in 1832.

Information for the Herkimer County Historical Society's  History Video Minute came from the Women Belong in History Books, and are available for purchase at WWW.HerkimerCountyHistory.org.

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