When were soap operas named soaps?
These Dramas that were originally aired at the outset of Radio had for supporting advertisers Detergents companies because they were on so early (before noon) that only housewives and maids hear them as they were cleaning the house, washing dishes, doing laundry. In other words they could hear their favorite story as they clean the house. And the one constant of all these melodrama’s as they jumped from radio to black/white television were it’s detergent advertisers and hence the nickname “Soap Opera” was born.