14 Fascinating and Hilarious Facts About Toilets You Never Knew You Needed to Know

1. Roman Reusable Toilet Sponges

Next time you're "caught short" and missing the Charmin, count your blessings: In ancient Rome, public toilets featured sponges on sticks, called xylospongium, instead of toilet paper, and these sponges were simply rinsed and reused – quite the shared experience!
Source => historyhit.com

2. Space Station Toilet Vacuums

When you gotta go, you gotta go — even in space! Astronauts don't have the luxury of just any "throne"; they partake in a cosmic game of "Mission Im-pee-ssible" with a specially designed space vacuum: Behold the International Space Station's toilet, which uses a fan-driven suction system to handle both liquid and solid waste! The 20-liter containers collect urine while the solid waste finds its home in micro-perforated bags before hitching a ride on a cargo ship for disposal. But wait, there's more: NASA's in-development Universal Waste Management System promises better hygiene, less noise, and full automation, and it's paving the way for gender-equal space waste management!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know that Ancient Egyptians had advanced plumbing systems in their pyramids and tombs, complete with stone basins and metal fittings? Discover more intriguing plumbing facts from history!

=> Fun Facts about Plumbing

3. Flush Toilet Patent Showdown

Before Game of Thrones had people vying for the Iron Throne, a great battle raged over who could lay claim to the Porcelain Throne: Enter Alexander Cumming, who in 1775 outshined Sir John Harington's 1596 prototype by securing the first patent for a flush toilet, complete with an S-shaped pipe that saved us all from some pretty gnarly sewer gas.
Source => history.com

4. Louis XIV's Secret Commode

Talk about a royal flush! Louis XIV might've been taking care of business with an air of kingly secrecy: The Sublabh International Museum of Toilets in New Delhi houses a replica of a covert French toilet used for discreet relief during 1700s court sessions, and although it's not confirmed if King Louis himself used it, we know he had a private commode chamber in the Palace of Versailles.
Source => mirror.co.uk

5. Japanese Luxury Washlets

When you've got to go, why not go in style? Say "sayonara" to boring bathroom breaks and "konnichiwa" to luxury lavatories: Japan's TOTO company has raised the porcelain throne game with their high-tech Washlet toilets, featuring heated seats, electronic bidets, ultra-smooth bowls, and water-saving Tornado Flush. TOTO isn't just sitting pretty in posh places; they're working on affordable toilets for developing countries and diving into high-tech bathing with their Flotation Tub.
Source => cnn.com

6. Ancient Toilet Alternatives

When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade: make a tersorium! In ancient Rome, a tersorium - a natural sea sponge tied to the end of a stick - was popularly used for post-bathroom cleanup. This handy sponge-on-a-stick was stored in pots of sea brine or vinegar to keep bacteria at bay, while the Greeks opted for the xylospungum and long pieces of ceramic called pessoi. Even the Japanese once used flat pieces of wood, Europeans embraced rags, and Americans favored corn cobs as their go-to bathroom solutions.
Source => georgeranch.org

7. The Original Poop Scoopers

Before indoor plumbing, the ancient Romans were "flush" with cash, but just couldn't catch a break from a stinky situation: Wealthy citizens had private latrines in their homes called latrines, built over cesspools. However, these fancy loos weren't connected to public sewage systems to keep the vermin invasion at bay, leaving the unpleasant task of emptying them to the hands of stercorraii, the original poop scoopers.
Source => historyhit.com

8. ISS Urine Distillation Upgrades

In space, no one can hear you flush: NASA has enhanced the International Space Station's water recovery system with a shiny new urine distillation assembly and upgraded components such as a tooth belt drive system, bearing seals, Teflon spacer, and liquid level sensor – all designed to transform astronauts' wastewater into refreshing, thirst-quenching water for long-distance space adventures. These cosmic plumbing upgrades hitched a ride aboard the SpaceX Dragon 1 cargo resupply ship.
Source => cnet.com

9. Toilet-Themed Taiwanese Restaurant

Craving a bathroom break with a culinary twist? Look no further than Taipei, where they serve up mouth-watering dishes in a potty-licious paradise: Enter the Modern Toilet Restaurant, a one-of-a-kind eatery that knows how to "bowl" you over with toilet seats, bowl-shaped tables, urinal glasses, and faux fecal fun. This Ximending hotspot caters to vegetarians as well and treats diners to a complimentary poo-shaped chocolate ice cream. Open for lunch and dinner every day, it's a wee bit of hilarity for your dining experience!
Source => onestep4ward.com

10. First Pay-Toilet by a Magician

Next time you're flush with cash and jingling with pennies, think of the magic man who made relieving oneself an extra-coppery affair: The first modern pay toilet was invented by English stage magician John Nevil Maskelyne in the late 19th century, requiring a penny coin to unlock the door, leading to the cheeky British euphemism "to spend a penny" for "to urinate".
Source => en.wikipedia.org

11. Stolen Golden Toilet Fiasco

In a bold attempt to flush away convention and raise the stakes of one's throne, an audacious art heist left a royal palace sinking in its woes: An 18-karat gold toilet, titled "America" and worth over $4 million, was pilfered from Blenheim Palace in England in 2019, causing considerable damage and flooding. The precious potty, crafted by Maurizio Cattelan, weighed a hefty 103 kilograms and had actually been functional. Police apprehended a 66-year-old suspect, but the lavatorial luxury remains at large.
Source => nytimes.com

12. World Toilet Day Awareness

Here's a potty thought for those with porcelain thrones: Nearly 892 million people worldwide still practice open defecation due to inadequate toilet access. This sanitation crisis causes diarrheal diseases, claiming the lives of almost 1,000 children each day. The flush of clean toilet awareness arises on November 19th, World Toilet Day, promoting life-saving sanitary measures and safe water supply to make everyone’s “number two” situation number one on the priority list.
Source => cdc.gov

13. Guggenheim's Gold Public Toilet

If you've ever wanted to feel like royalty while answering nature's call, the Guggenheim Museum has got your back(side) covered: Once upon a time, they displayed a luxurious, fully operational 18-carat gold toilet, dubbed "America" by artist Maurizio Cattelan, which was available for public use under the watchful eye of a dedicated security guard ensuring its glistening surface remained unblemished.
Source => cnn.com

14. Bidet Origins and Evolution

Horseplay in the bathroom: The word "bidet" actually derives from the French word for "pony" or "small horse," as the traditional design resembled a mini equestrian seat. It started with just a humble bowl of water in a wooden stool for manual washing before graduating to hand pumps, sprayers, and finally, the modern bidet toilet seat.
Source => bidetgenius.com