On Oct. 31, 1837, William Procter and James Gamble signed a partnership agreement in Cincinnati, forming a little soap- and candle-making business called Procter & Gamble.

Their meeting was accidental. Procter had emigrated from England, and Gamble from Ireland. Each was passing through Cincinnati while headed farther west. Both were detained in the city because of illness - Gamble to seek medical assistance for himself, and Procter to care for his wife, Martha, who would die of cholera.

Procter established himself as a candle maker. Gamble apprenticed himself to a soap maker. They met because of two sisters - Olivia and Elizabeth Norris. Gamble married Elizabeth, and within months Procter married Olivia. Their new father-in-law, Alexander Norris, persuaded the men to go into business together.

Today, Cincinnati-based P&G is a giant - marketing about 300 household products and employing nearly 100,000 people worldwide.

Rebecca Goodman

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com or call (513) 768-8361