But if you believe today's ultra-thin, barely-there latex condoms take the fun out of sex, then you'll shudder to think about what guys in the early 1500s-heck, even the early 1900s-wrapped their members in: recycled, ill-fitting sheaths, often filled with holes, says Dr. Andrea Tone , professor in the social history of medicine at McGill University.

Although the very first known condoms are drastically different than what you currently find in drugstores, Tone says there is one thing that remains the same: "One constant in condom history is mens complaints about wearing them," she tells Men's Health.

The next time you wanna ditch the condoms in favor of going bareback, just remember that aside from being your best bet against STIs and unwanted pregnancy, your choice of contraceptives could be a lot worse.

Here's a look at the brief history of condoms.

Who was the founder of condoms?

Historians can't say who first thought of wrapping it up to protect themselves against diseases, says Tone. The strongest evidence that men practiced safe sex dates back to the 1500s when syphilis was highly contagious and incurable, she explains.

Italian anatomist Gabriel Fallopius first observed guys donning herb soaked linen sheaths to protect themselves from infection.

However, there are allusions to guys wearing protection prior to this. Legend has it that in 3000 B.C., King Minos of Crete had a mistress who died following unsafe sex. The cause? His semen was infested with scorpions and demons, according to a report published in the Indian Journal of Urology . After the incident, Minos's partners protected themselves by inserting goat bladders into their vaginas.

Ancient Egyptians notably wore makeshift condoms for other, but no less practical, reasons, says Tone. Penis sheaths were worn to signify social status and offer protection from insect bites and other environmental hazards, she explains.

What were early condoms made of?

From the 1500s to mid 1800s, condoms were made of animal intestines and linen, according to the University of California, Santa Barbara . During the mid-19th century, Charles Goodyear and Thomas Hancock discovered the vulcanization of rubber (basically, how to heat it), which made it possible to create rubber condoms, reported JSTOR Daily .

The first rubber condom was made in 1855. These early inventions only covered the tip of the penis, until 1869, when condoms became full-length. Although available, condoms weren't exactly accessible, since they were pretty expensive. That's why most people just washed and reused. In the 1920s, scientists discovered how to make latex, which is popular in today's condoms.

The condom black market

Guys, you've got it so good. It's easy to waltz into any drugstore and pick up a pack of rubbers for less than 10 bucks, but early condom makers had to sell their inventions on the black market until 1918. That's because condoms were illegal and deemed as "sexually illicit goods," explains Tone. And since safe sex was basically criminal, bootleg condoms weren't regulated, meaning they weren't always safe or effective.

"Americans were on their own, with no recourse if the condoms they took a chance on broke or failed," she says. "Poor Americans sometimes recycled the one or two they could afford, causing stench, erosion, and breakage."

Things finally changed in 1918, when a New York judge ruled that condoms could be sold to stop the spread of syphilis and gonorrhea, which was an expensive public health problem during World War One, Tone explains.

The condom wars

According to an article published by Tone in The Journal of American History, Julius Schmid was the king of condoms by the early 1900s as his company, Ramses and Sheik, was one of the top-selling manufacturers in America. However, he faced serious competition when Merle Young created Youngs Rubber Company, which launched one of the most successful condom brands of all-time: Trojan.

By the 1930s, 15 major condom manufacturers produced more than one million condoms a day, reported JSTOR Daily. In 1993, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the first female condom , though those haven't exactly caught on.

Over the years, companies got inventive, creating a wild mix of lubricated, textured, flavored, and even spray on, condoms for all your safe sex needs. Now, more than 450 condoms are sold each year in the United States. Despite the countless options, guys still don't love wearing condoms. Research indicates roughly 65 percent of Americans report having unprotected sex. If you're not in a monogamous relationship (hey, no judgements!) and aren't using some form of contraceptives, you may want to check out our guide to finding a condom that doesn't suck.