A customer this week asked if I knew when the toilet was invented - something I never really thought of.
The quest for something better than pots and open trenches began early in history. Many civilizations throughout time have attempted early versions of toilets. It is believed that as early as 2500 BC the citizens of Harappa, India had water fed toilets in their homes.
Sir John Harington, godson to Queen Elizabeth, is given credit for inventing the flush toilet in 1596. He was determined that this was a necessity for his godmother and himself. Due to the awkwardness and uniqueness he was ridiculed for his absurd device and never made another one. However, the queen and Harington continued to use theirs.
The next attempt at a toilet didn’t come until two hundred years later when Alexander Cummings would reinvent Harrington’s water closet. His idea incorporated the use of “the strap”, a sliding valve he invented between the bowl and the trap. It was the first of is kind and inspired many other to follow his lead and revolutionize the toilet industry.
1775 – Alexander Cummings – Invented the “Strap”, a sliding valve between the bowl and trap.
1777 – Samuel Prosser – Received patent for a plunger closet
1778 – Joseph Bramah – Invented a valve at the bottom of the bowl that worked on a hinge, considered a predecessor to the modern ballcock.
1870 – John Randall Mann – Granted a patent for a three-pipe siphonic closet
1876 – William Smith – Received patent for Jet siphon closet
1885 – Thomas Twyford – Built first trapless toilet in a one-piece, all china design.
1890 – William Howell – Developed water closet that eliminated the lower trap, but maintained the same superior function.
1900-1932 – The U.S. Patent Office received application for 350 new water closet designs.
1932 – present – Many new companies are formed and continue to improve on the water closet. Improvements include the flushometer valve, a backflow preventer, a wall-mounted closet with a blow-out arrangement, a tank that rests on the bowl, and reverse trap toilets.
Sir John Harington, godson to Queen Elizabeth, is given credit for inventing the flush toilet in 1596. He was determined that this was a necessity for his godmother and himself. Due to the awkwardness and uniqueness he was ridiculed for his absurd device and never made another one. However, the queen and Harington continued to use theirs.
The next attempt at a toilet didn’t come until two hundred years later when Alexander Cummings would reinvent Harrington’s water closet. His idea incorporated the use of “the strap”, a sliding valve he invented between the bowl and the trap. It was the first of is kind and inspired many other to follow his lead and revolutionize the toilet industry.
1775 – Alexander Cummings – Invented the “Strap”, a sliding valve between the bowl and trap.
1777 – Samuel Prosser – Received patent for a plunger closet
1778 – Joseph Bramah – Invented a valve at the bottom of the bowl that worked on a hinge, considered a predecessor to the modern ballcock.
1870 – John Randall Mann – Granted a patent for a three-pipe siphonic closet
1876 – William Smith – Received patent for Jet siphon closet
1885 – Thomas Twyford – Built first trapless toilet in a one-piece, all china design.
1890 – William Howell – Developed water closet that eliminated the lower trap, but maintained the same superior function.
1900-1932 – The U.S. Patent Office received application for 350 new water closet designs.
1932 – present – Many new companies are formed and continue to improve on the water closet. Improvements include the flushometer valve, a backflow preventer, a wall-mounted closet with a blow-out arrangement, a tank that rests on the bowl, and reverse trap toilets.
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