For 2.5 billion people, that last question isn’t just a hypothetical—it’s their lived reality. In an effort to draw attention to those who lack access to the most basic sanitary infrastructure, the World Toilet Organization and the United Nations have declared November 19th as World Toilet Day. Every year millions of people—many of them children—suffer illnesses, some of them fatal, that could have been prevented entirely with proper access to a toilet. It’s sobering to think that something most of us take for granted is an actual life-saver to so many others. We should never forget how lucky we are.
So. Thanksgiving Day is right around the corner. I suggest that this year, before digging into roasted turkey and grandma’s stuffing, you propose a toast to the toilet and give thanks to those brilliant bathroom benefactors whose inventions keep us clean and healthy every day. Your loved ones will enjoy the history lesson and—believe me—appreciate having something to discuss other than politics.
Start with Sir John Harington. Born in 1560, Harington was a true Renaissance man: poet, …show more content…
While most plumbing businesses at the time appealed to Victorian prudishness by making shopping for bathroom fixtures as private and discreet as possible, Crapper took a radically different approach. Bathroom showrooms, proudly and prominently displaying toilets and other sanitary accoutrements, filled Crapper & Co.’s store and were readily visible from the street outside. The showrooms caused a sensation. Everybody knew about Crapper & Co.’s toilets and, after being installed by Edward, Prince of Wales (and future King Edward VII) in his palace, everybody wanted them too. Bold marketing and royal approval helped Crapper shift public perceptions of indoor flushable toilets, setting a new standard for basic household
So. Thanksgiving Day is right around the corner. I suggest that this year, before digging into roasted turkey and grandma’s stuffing, you propose a toast to the toilet and give thanks to those brilliant bathroom benefactors whose inventions keep us clean and healthy every day. Your loved ones will enjoy the history lesson and—believe me—appreciate having something to discuss other than politics.
Start with Sir John Harington. Born in 1560, Harington was a true Renaissance man: poet, …show more content…
While most plumbing businesses at the time appealed to Victorian prudishness by making shopping for bathroom fixtures as private and discreet as possible, Crapper took a radically different approach. Bathroom showrooms, proudly and prominently displaying toilets and other sanitary accoutrements, filled Crapper & Co.’s store and were readily visible from the street outside. The showrooms caused a sensation. Everybody knew about Crapper & Co.’s toilets and, after being installed by Edward, Prince of Wales (and future King Edward VII) in his palace, everybody wanted them too. Bold marketing and royal approval helped Crapper shift public perceptions of indoor flushable toilets, setting a new standard for basic household