History of the Toilet

1. History of the Toilet Malcolm Stolarski November 20, 2012

2. Going inside • First indoor toilet created in 2500 B.C. • Created by Harappan city dwellers. • Also had a brick-lined sewer system. • Technology lost in the 1500s B.C.

3. Royal Flush • First flush toilet created in Crete. • Put in the Queen’s bathroom in 1500s B.C. • Used rainwater and clay pipes to flush. • Destroyed in the 1400s B.C.

4. Really Public Bathrooms • 800s B.C. Rome constructed the Cloaca Maxima. • 11,000 public toilets built above the sewer. • Everything was shared including a sponge for wiping.

5. This Job is The Pits • 1300 A.D. Europeans are using outhouses. • People had to clean the outhouses. • Richard Raker drowns “monstrously in his own excrement.”

6. Heads Up • 1500s Europeans are using chamber pots. • Full chamber pots were thrown out the window with a shout of “Gardy-Loo.” • This means “watch out for the water.”

7. A Charmin’ Idea • In 1857 Joseph Gayetty introduces toilet paper. • Each sheet was printed with his signature. • Before people used whatever they could find.

8. Bathroom Reading • 1672 a model of a chamber pot looked like a stack of books. • This was one of the most popular models in France.

9. Stop Making Scents • 1775 Alexander Cummings designs the S-trap. • The S-trap was the first modern flush toilet. • Allowed poop to go down without a scent coming up.

10. Sculptured Seats • 1885 Thomas Twyford introduces the first all-ceramic toilet. • Eliminated leaky joints to reduce smell. • Some of these toilets were molded into fancy shapes.

11. Minding Your Business • 1999 Matsushita Electronic Industrial Company creates a super smart toilet. • The toilet can measure your weight and body-fat content. • Expected to be on the market in a couple years.

12. Port-A-Potties • Are constantly vandalized for pure enjoyment. • Cost about $75 – $150 for one day. • They are cleaned once a week.