horseless carriage
Well-known Member
It is a widely-held belief that Thomas Crapper designed the first flush toilet in the 1860's. It was actually 300 years earlier, during the 16th century, that Europe discovered modern sanitation. The credit for inventing the flush toilet goes to Sir John Harrington, godson of Elizabeth I, who invented a water closet with a raised cistern and a small downpipe through which water ran to flush the waste in 1592.
He built one for himself and one for his godmother; Queen Elizabeth. Sadly, his invention was ignored for almost 200 years: it was was not until 1775 that Alexander Cummings, a watchmaker, developed the S-shaped pipe under the toilet basin to keep out the foul odours.
Thomas Crapper was a successful Victorian plumber who founded a company that manufactured and sold toilets and other sanitary ware. His company's name, "Thomas Crapper & Co.", was prominently displayed on his products.
When American soldiers were stationed in England during WWI, they encountered the "Thomas Crapper & Co." branding on toilets. Unfamiliar with the company and its products, they began using "crapper" as slang for a toilet.
While "crap" was already in use, the widespread use of "crapper" by American soldiers in WWI, and its subsequent return to the United States, likely contributed to the broader use and acceptance of "crap" as a slang term for bodily waste.
So now you know that the flush toilet was invented for Queen Elizabeth the first, who, of course, was far too posh to poop.
He built one for himself and one for his godmother; Queen Elizabeth. Sadly, his invention was ignored for almost 200 years: it was was not until 1775 that Alexander Cummings, a watchmaker, developed the S-shaped pipe under the toilet basin to keep out the foul odours.
Thomas Crapper was a successful Victorian plumber who founded a company that manufactured and sold toilets and other sanitary ware. His company's name, "Thomas Crapper & Co.", was prominently displayed on his products.
When American soldiers were stationed in England during WWI, they encountered the "Thomas Crapper & Co." branding on toilets. Unfamiliar with the company and its products, they began using "crapper" as slang for a toilet.
While "crap" was already in use, the widespread use of "crapper" by American soldiers in WWI, and its subsequent return to the United States, likely contributed to the broader use and acceptance of "crap" as a slang term for bodily waste.
So now you know that the flush toilet was invented for Queen Elizabeth the first, who, of course, was far too posh to poop.