You visit the bathroom, loo, lavatory, john, or water closet about 6 to 8 times a day, but how much do you actually know about your commode? Besides countless euphemisms, the toilet also has some surprising history and culture attached to it. Ever wonder what happened to colored toilet paper? Or how many toilets there are in the White House? Check out these surprising toilet facts and give your Valentine’s Day date a giggle!
1) Super Bowl
Can you guess which half hour each year has the most toilet flushes in the United States? Yep, it’s the Super Bowl half time show—no one wants to miss a game changing moment!
2) Offensive Flushing
In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was the first Hollywood film to show a toilet being flushed. Many viewers complained about the indecency.
3) Money Well Spent
A $100,000 study determined that 3 out of 4 Americans prefer their toilet paper flap to come out over the top instead of underneath. You could install about 260 toilets for that much money!
4) What’s in a Name?
Although Thomas Crapper is often credited with the invention of the toilet, he actually just popularized it with his improvements on the siphon flush system. As you’ve probably already guessed, his successful plumbing company is also the origin of a particular modern toilet-related slang term.
5) Political Potties
The White House has 35 Bathrooms. At least no one ever has to wait!
6) Giant Toilet Paper?
The oldest record of toilet paper is from China in the 6th Century. Each sheet was said to be 2 feet by 3 feet. Try fitting that down a toilet! It wasn’t until 1857 that mass produced toilet paper made it to the U.S.
6) No More Pink
For 40 years, colored toilet paper had been sold in colors to compliment bathroom walls, but 2004 marked the end of colored toilet paper in the United States. If you want more exciting toilet paper, you’ll have to travel to Europe where colors are still in style.
8) Deadly Toilets
Talk about embarrassing: King George the 2nd actually died on the toilet in 1760. Overexertion combined with his heart problems led the king to his unfortunate end.
9) Toilet Vacations
If you’re looking for a different kind of vacation experience, try South Korea’s toilet-shaped museum known as the Restroom Cultural Park. The museum is the former home of the town’s mayor, Mr. Toilet, so named because he was born in a bathroom and dedicated his life to promoting more hygienic toilets in South Korea. If you’ve always wanted a picture with odd toilet statues, this is the place for you.
10) From the French
Many people know other names for the toilet, but did you know that the word toilet itself is actually a euphemism? “Toilet” comes from the French word “toilette,” meaning to clean or groom one’s self.