Fun Fact Friday - Toilet Trivia!

This weeks Fun Fact Friday will center around useless trivia related to one of the most useful devices known to mankind.



The Porcelain God.

The Loo.

The John.

The Crapper.

The Throne.

Those of you who know my maiden name, which is Krapp, might incorrectly attribute this devine invention to my ancestors. I am sorry to say that is simply not the case.

Thomas Crapper is often credited with inventing the toilet. This is purely false. The first invention goes back as far as 1596, when Britishman Sir John Harrington, who was the godson of Queen Elizabeth I, engineered and invented a valve that could release water from the WC (water closet). It is Sir John Harrington who invented the toilet. This is why it is sometimes called "the john".

While Mr. Crapper did not invent the first flushable toilet, he was a fine plumber in England. So fine, in fact, that he served as the royal sanitary engineer for many members of England's royalty. He was never knighted, contrary to popular belief, therefore he cannot be called Sir Crapper.

All of this Crapper talk leads me to the next toilet related terminology...the word "crap". Where did crap come from? The derivative of the word "crap" is still largely debated, but the most likely explanation also points at our friends in England. The World War I doughboys, while passing through England, brought together Crapper's name and the toilet. The words "T.Crapper-Chelsea" were printed on toilet tanks (as Thomas Crapper had 9 patents for plumbing related products). The toilet, therefore, was nicknamed "the crapper" because of this. And Thomas Crapper's legend lives on!

Perhaps crap's closest relative, "the 's' word" (you know what I'm talking about!), has a more interesting back story. This fun 4-letter word, which I often thought was golf terminology, really is a nautical term that originated from the acronym "Ship High In Transit". Certain types of manure used to be transported by ship. In dry form, it weighed a lot less, but once it came into contact with sea water, it became heavy and fermentation began. A by-product of fermentation is methane gas. Methane gas began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern....BOOM!! After the relationship was realized, the bundles of manure were marked "S.H.I.T" which meant to the sailors "Ship High In Transit"....high enough so that sea water wouldn't get to it and start the process of fermentation.

So next time you have a horrible swing on the golf course, you should really say "Ship High In Transit!".

You cannot use a toilet without using toilet paper (or can you?) so naturally, here are some fun facts on toilet paper:

* Toilet paper was first introduced around 1880, once again by the British. It was sold in boxes of individual squares. (Recall the first flushable toilet came on the scene in 1596. We won't discuss what may have been used in the 400 years between the two. Eeew.)

*Scott Paper Company, which is an American company, began putting toilet paper on rolls shortly after. It wasn't perforated, but the dispenser had serrated edges so you could cut the toilet paper to your liking. (At least the Americans are getting on board for something useful!)

* The two-ply roll didn't appear until 1942!

* An average of 666 rolls of toilet paper are used daily at The Pentagon.

* There was a TP shortage in 1973 after Johnny Carson jokingly told his Tonight Show audience there was a shortage. People ran out and hoarded TP. He then said he was "just kidding", which led people to be more suspicious and believe he was involved in a coverup. They went and hoarded more TP.

And there you have it! Set forth and use your useless toilet trivia wisely.


Have a great weekend!