Weird and Wonderful Facts About the World of Plumbing
Toilets, pipes, bathtubs, and kitchen faucets are used thoughtlessly every day by hundreds of thousands of people. The United States as a nation considers these things to be absolute necessities, but at one time in our history, such things were considered the grandest of luxuries. Even as late as 70 years ago, there were still houses in rural areas that did not have running water in the home.
Water is life, and the removal of human waste is essential to all people's health and well-being. The history of plumbing is human history, because humanity will never outgrow the need for it.
The History of Plumbing in America
In 1833, the White House was first equipped with indoor plumbing, but only on the first floor.
An inventor named Joseph Gayetty made a package of "medicated paper" in 1857. While he intended it to be for hemorrhoid relief, it was essentially the first commercial toilet paper. His original invention was in use until late in the 1920s.
The White House had flushing toilets installed when Millard Fillmore was president, and in 1853, the second floor was fitted for running water.
The Remarkable Toilet
Humans have always needed a place to go. Flushing water closets and water pipes go back as far as 2000 B.C.E. Romans used water pipes and running water to flush waste centuries before the idea spread.
Sir John Harrington invented the first flushing toilet in the western world in 1596 for his personal estate. He later created one for his godmother, Queen Elizabeth I.
Alexander Cumming was the first in two hundred years to attempt a flushing toilet design. The Scottish inventor improved upon Harrington's design by including the S-bend to help eliminate odor and create a way for the toilet to refill automatically when flushed.
Other Facts About Plumbing
Lastly, here are a few random plumbing facts:
- Lead pipes meant to improve Roman life poisoned a portion of the population and may be a factor in the downfall of that great empire.
- Philadelphia was the first US city to exchange wooden pipes for cast iron pipes in 1804.
- The first PVC pipes in the United States were laid in 1953.
- Cities did not start widespread provision of clean water until the 1930s. This made indoor plumbing much more accessible for the average citizen.
- Plumbing practices are continuing to improve, and technology is ever advancing.
About All Purpose Plumbing
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