It's morning somewhere

1772
German-born Swedish chemist Karl Wilhelm Scheele was the first to discover chlorine, an essential ingredient in subsequent modern bleaches. Nearly 40 years later, English chemist Sir Humphrey Davy gave chlorine its name, derived from the Greek word for greenish-yellow.

Sodium hypochlorite, the active ingredient in household bleach, was discovered by the French chemist Berthollet, in Javel on the outskirts of Paris, in 1787. Its ability to effectively whiten textiles was quickly discovered and put to commercial use with great success. By the end of the nineteenth century, after Louis Pasteur had discovered sodium hypochlorite's potent effectiveness against disease-causing bacteria, it became widely used as a disinfectant. Studies by numerous independent research institutes have supported the high level of disinfection effectiveness of sodium hypochlorite. It is recognized as having an unsurpassed disinfection spectrum.