More than a Flush: The History of Toilets
In More than a Flush: The History of Toilets, presenter Ruth Goodman is at Westminster in London to learn how the toilet was invented. Learn what the development of the toilet has to do with Queen Elizabeth, the Thames River, Thomas Crapper, and public health. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Inside the Factory, a series that takes viewers behind the scenes in the factories that make our favorite products.
Lesson Express
Q: Why didn’t the first toilet, designed by John Harrington, catch on?
A: It was too complicated for people’s everyday needs.
Q: Why is the S bend important in a toilet?
A: The S bend in the pipe holds water and prevents rats and gases from coming back up the pipe.
Q: What event prompted people to start designing a toilet that everyone could use?
A: After the “Summer of Stink,” when the Thames River was full of sewage, people started to come together to fix the problem of dumping waste right into the river.