6 Toilets From History, and What They Taught Us

[@SciShow]

This episode of SciShow is brought to you in partnership with Gates Notes. You can go to www.gatesnotes.com/Development/10-years-of-reinventing-the-toilet to read about the latest innovations in toilets and sanitation, and to learn more about the “Reinvent the Toilet Challenge,” which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

[@Darth69906]

Sadly you need to up your game

[@ChessIsBestWithACupOfScience]

@SciShow Can you please shout me out on your next upload?! PLEASE!!! ONE LOVE💓

[@Darth69906]

@@ChessIsBestWithACupOfScience you need to shy away …. Waiting for your reeeeesponse bro

[@Darth69906]

@@ChessIsBestWithACupOfScience …. Yee…… ye …. Ye ………. Forget …….!

[@hansolowe19]

This video was a real stinker.

[@briangarrow448]

As a retired wastewater treatment plant professional, I thank you for your efforts to educate the public in the importance of sanitary and efficient waste removal and treatment. May I suggest a series on the different types of processes used by modern treatment plants to safely treat municipal wastewater? Possibly include the rise of UV to sanitize wastewater versus older technology of chlorine?

[@ScumfuckMcDoucheface]

I think that would be a facinating series, great suggestion man

[@staciderfelt]

I would love to learn about these things!!

[@Sorcerers_Apprentice]

There is also reverse osmosis, which can make treated effluent potable again.

[@kirkw1740]

I'd love to see them include the treatment processes we've developed for handling the waste after it's removed in a follow up video to this, with your suggestions, plus the alternatives like septic tanks, weeping beds, organic filtering, bio-digesting brown gas generating systems and dehydrating/composting systems.

[@HauxYZ250]

I just want a video that convinces people that “flushable” wipes aren’t flushable! (Along with pretty much everything else that’s not TP)

[@mho...]

"Arrid regions like australia?!" Here in germany , basically every toilet has the 2 flush choices!--- i even think its a law these days for new ones to have the 2 options!

[@nevertrusasmurf]

Belgium too, never knew it differently

[@ElizabethDohertyThomas]

Not very common yet in America. I think Ikea toilets have it and that is notable. I was in a new hotel recently that has a very unhelpful set of dots with zero information about what they meant.

[@clogcandy]

Same in holland, alltough you still find an inspectiontoilet as i call them in older homes

[@georgplaz]

In austria too and we have plenty of water coming in from the alps

[@junrosamura645]

Japanese toilets have this as a default option as well.

[@Not-an-Alien]

I would just like to take this moment to acknowledge my gratitude for living in a time where I don't have to worry or even think about where my poop goes.

[@veramae4098]

Country folk still have to think about it. Had to replace the 80 year old septic tank in the house I inherited, it was interesting to watch the new one put in, and even before construction they had to submit plan to local Health Dept. for approval. Still, many, many old houses are still using primitive methods. My aunt and uncle's drain simply led to the roadside ditch. (Cousin who inherited the house and farm put in a septic tank). A friend of mine finally had to replace her "system" which was simply two big steel barrels underground, punched full of holes, filled with large rocks. The old systems were "grandfathered" in with the then new sanitation laws, so many still exist and are in use. Ugh.

[@mahnas92]

But... this video is sponsored by the Gates Notes, an organisation that works with sanitation issues for many places arround the world, mostly in developing countries and rural places, to bring the modern toilet to more people, so you're not living in a TIME where you don't have to worry, but in a PLACE in the world where you don't have to think about it a whole lot of people still do need to think about it!

[@Not-an-Alien]

@@veramae4098 why?

[@Not-an-Alien]

@@mahnas92 I said what I meant, and I meant what I said. I that's right "I" live in a TIME where I don't have to think about where my poop goes. Preach your self righteous humanitarianism to someone who cares.

[@Birdman32]

In the days of old, when nights were cold, and toilets weren’t invented, they laid their load, upon the road, and walked away contented

[@Xurikyo]

Majestic.

[@shayknox1023]

I... I have no words

[@shadycactus6146]

1:29 i know i’ve been watching too much eons when i hear “fourth millennium bce” and think “god, that’s so recent”

[@adityamohan1773]

U ain't alone lad haha.

[@gus-vanover]

Mood

[@AskMia411]

Saaaaaaame!

[@naufalap]

well albedo is ancient after all

[@mayoite160]

palaeontologists tell historians "that's cute" - who hear it from geologists - who hear it from cosmologists

[@Dragrath1]

Those Medieval toilets there... honestly sound like steps backwards from some of the earlier ones yikes. Also the roman toilets must have been horrific for whoever had to clean out those blockages... I presume that was slaves? That sounds like something they would make slaves do....

[@dorabrooks76]

Yeah, probably slaves. 😖 I wish Hank had mentioned that the public Roman bathrooms weren't very sanitary, either. There was usually only a limited number of tersoriums (natural sponge attached to a stick) for wiping- which was shared by all comers. It was simply rinsed in between users either in plain water (running through the pipes), or in a bucket of vinegar or salt water. 🤢

[@JimmyMon666]

and he didn't even mention what they used for toilet paper. You don't want to know. If you do want to know, I believe History Guy covered it last year.

[@stoodmuffinpersonal3144]

I thought stuff like this was a very modern invention, but I was incorrect 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@lordgarion514]

Blockages are still cleared by hand in places. The lowest class of people have to do it.

[@nathanberrigan9839]

@@lordgarion514 They're still cleaned by hand in the US. But those people are paid well.

[@ethan-loves]

I find learning about the history and science of sanitation/hygiene so fascinating. Thank you for this video! I would adore a similar video on historical bathing tools.

[@ptolemycleopatra]

My bucket list included seeing Roman toilets for ages... I finally saw some this summer!

[@atomic_wait]

I remember when the King Tut exhibit came to my city they had an ancient Egyptian stone toilet seat. Looked just like a modern one, just thicker and made of sandstone. Some things never change.

[@glasshalffull8625]

What a coincidence! I know live aboard boaters that use a bucket as a toilet! 😂

[@Pussmash]

@@atomic_wait well things have changed. We have bidets now. Anyone still using paper are just living under a rock or super lazy.

[@twocvbloke]

Here in the UK, we have the 2-button thrones too, and we're not exactly arid, plus the low-volume flush is creating a big problem of not having enough water in the waste, meaning it's more of a slow-moving sludge, which blocks up our aging sewers that rarely see any upgrade work...

[@minerblake7494]

Try number 1 in the shower,save #2 for the big flush

[@melethalewis9315]

I think you need to catch up with the times when you're going in the future. But it can't always be good when your town doesn't catch up with the rest of the world.😨😨 So try to think about it when they're ready to do it.😍😍

[@thekingoffailure9967]

@@minerblake7494I sure hope you pee more frequently than once a day, or dont shower multiple times a day

[@than217]

4/5 of Mesopotamians: "So you're telling me to just TRUST everyone else not to steal my poop while I store it in some distant cesspit? I think I'll store my poop at home, thank you very much!"

[@elihinze3161]

i am SCREAMING

[@injunsun]

Tbf, they did use it as fertilser, so it did have some value.

[@smssalina]

They are stealing your little smelling babies.

[@DiscoChixify]

Lol in some countries they actually sold their poop to farmers for them to make fertilizer to grow food crops. It’s called night soil. And yes, there were poop thieves who stole poop.

[@nunyabiznes33]

The Japanese cityfolks be like: "You give away your poop for free? That's stoopid!"

[@TheSuzberry]

If you have a toilet you use Very infrequently, flush it once in a while. The water in your S bend might evaporate and cease to stop the gasses from coming into the WC.

[@kneau]

I absolutely have a second toilet in this house that... I really cannot remember when it was last used. I know I cleaned it really well back in 2017... hmm. While I cannot presume you're here to advise me, I at least appreciate now knowing I may want to check on things.

[@michagrill9432]

😬🤢🤮

[@rydaddy2867]

Same thing goes for floor drains and sinks that don't see a lot of use. And floor drains can evaporate even faster due to having no lid to slow it down, but still being a large diameter pipe. A little bit of cooking oil slowly down the drain can significantly slow the evaporation in infrequently used water drains. :)

[@kaypgirl]

I have a work location with way too many floor drains, and boy do they smell if no one remembers to put water down them once a week.

[@MajoraZ]

As somebody who does content on Mesoamerican history, I wanna clarify some stuff about Palenque's toilets and talk about other Mesoamerican sites that had them. Firstly, i've looked into Palenque's waterworks systems before, it should be noted that while there are what appears to be toilets at Palenque, as far as i'm aware there's no evidence that those toilets themselves were part of the pressurized channel that was found at the site, which from the papers I've read seems to have been in place to create a upwards fountain/spout, though maybe i'm unaware of newer research. I will say Palenque in general had very complex waterworks systems,, the site had dozens of springs in or around the city which coalesced into many streams and rivers which ran through it, so the city had dozens of open air and underground aqueducts, drainage systems, dams, reservoirs, etc to deal with that. As far as other other Mesoamerican cities with toilets, Teotihuacan seems to have had some: Teotihuacan was a major Metropolis in Central Mexico during the Classical period, and at it's height around 500AD, had 100,000+ denizens, had a planned urban grid covering almost 2 dozen square kilometers of fancy temples and palaces with painted frescos, dozens of rooms and open air courtyards, which even most of the city's commoners lived in. Some these palace compounds had plumbing and channel systems, and what seem to pretty clearly resemble toilets, though in conversations I've had with researchers who have worked at the site, excavations haven't yielded connections to other plumbing systems in the city, which is odd since in photos of the toilets there are what appear to be channels attached to them. It's also known that the Aztec captial of Tenochtitlan had public latrines/toilets alongside major roads, and that there civil servants who washed and swept streets and buildings and collected waste from these toilets (allegedly on a daily basis), and that waste was then recycled into dyes and fertilizer.

[@eileennovak1656]

🧠 interesting ty 💟

[@OleanderSmoothie]

Teotihuacan sounds amazing and beautiful! I wish I could travel back in time to see it!

[@Catlily5]

@@OleanderSmoothie Teotihuacan is cool even now. Though it would be something to see it all painted.

[@veramae4098]

Under Elizabeth I in England she had a great Chancellor, who was then also her bookkeeper and he kept meticulous records. People who would clean sewage off the streets of London were well paid, but there were never enough. Street cleaners could then sell the sewage to farmers, just bonus income. This was the original London, now often referred to as "the City", very small in comparison to modern London. I'm surprised he didn't mention London's huge sewer system, installed under Queen Victoria. It was and is a *phenomena*, most of it still is use as built. However, originally it just dumped into the Thames River far downstream. Now, modern sewage treatment plants are in place. ... Before its dumped into the Thames. There were still problems. Prince Albert her Consort, reportedly died of typhoid (which modern scholars are rather dubious about but [shrug]) from old leaky pipes under the Palace.

[@nunyabiznes33]

What dyes were they making from their poops? Also isn't Teotihuacan already abandoned when they were building Tenoctitlan? Did it still somehow managed to teach the other peoples on building?

[@ragnkja]

The toilet-room of a medieval castle was called a “garderobe”, and yes, that is where we get the word “wardrobe”, because of the clothes being kept there.

[@AntediluvianRomance]

And the French toilette and its loans in some other languages preserved both meanings.

[@ilkyway5854]

The German word for wardrobe is Garderobe.

[@ragnkja]

@@ilkyway5854 And also in Norwegian.

[@timofeypetrenko2264]

@@ilkyway5854 Same here in Russia.

[@patbates13]

The underground prehistoric village of Scara Brae had toilets with running water feed from underground springs to clear waste. At 6000 years old I think it is one of the oldest toilets.

[@briangarrow448]

I just installed a bidet into my bathroom! Ever since the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020, I have searched for an alternative to T.P. For less than 60$ I bought an attachment that I installed in less than 15 minutes on my standard American style toilet. And it WORKS GREAT! I highly recommend this inexpensive modification for everyone!

[@junrosamura645]

All Japanese toilets have this. There are even conversion kits available for foreigners to buy once they experience the magic of the bidet.

[@nobetawedielikemysanity]

Anyone without a bidet or some kind of water washing method are disgusting.

[@eileennovak1656]

I've always wondered why America hasn't caught on to the luxury of hygienic bidets; it's the only way to poo.

[@edwinhuang9244]

It should be called The Great Panic Buying of Toilet Paper of 2020

[@scarletletter4900]

@@eileennovak1656 sanitation isn't a luxury.

[@zenebean]

If there is one thing that keeps me happy with the time I exist in spite of the pollution, climate change, and mass extinction, it is that I live with indoor plumbing Edit: human history is a long, steady degredation of our environment from ignorance, and it is good to look at how much more we know now. If we can bend some stubborn necks, we even know how to stop the downspiral. We might have clean skies to go with our clean water

[@paganlecter6819]

Electricity is another big one too

[@paulawolanski3237]

I would gladly pee and poop under a bush for the rest of my life if it meant that the tragic problems you just listed would somehow magically go away.

[@dailytransparencywithcovid4666]

@@paulawolanski3237 second that

[@grejen711]

Modern Dentistry is pretty damn nice!

[@eileennovak1656]

@@paulawolanski3237 💐👍💟

[@applegal3058]

My grandparents had a stage (a fishing storage she'd built at the edge of the ocean with a deck built extending into the harbour. Inside the stage was a toilet seat placed on an elevated platform. Below was the open air and sea rocks. You do your business, and it was taken out with the tide. Not such a big deal in smaller communities, but would cause a major pollution problem in larger cities for sure. I have fond memories of being outside playing, and running in the stage to go to the washroom...You could feel the cool sea air against your butt lol

[@ScumfuckMcDoucheface]

there's something extremly liberating, exhilarating and comforting about the thought of cool sea air caressing your nethers as you go haha I've often thought the same about the old castle thrones that were open to the air as well, 80' up, hung out from the top of a wall or spire =)

I got such a kick out of watching this guy's facial expressions while he fought back giggles as I imagined how many takes he wrecked with laughter 🤣

[@bendirval3612]

I like toilets that have a little sink built in to them so you wash your hands and the waste water fills the tank.

[@exogator]

Popular in Japan I think, should be everywhere honestly

[@alisoncircus]

@@exogator Japanese toilets should be everywhere anyway. They understand that humans don't need to be treated inhumanely while engaged in necessary functions.

[@CallMe_Mr.Rhythm]

I've been watching SciShow and PBS Eons for years but it's just today that I noticed that Hank also hosts PBS Eons.

[@radagastwiz]

Only in the earlier seasons! For a while it's been only Blake and Kallie, and they've just added Michelle. But both shows are made by Complexly (of which Hank is CEO).

[@gabor6259]

Hank also hosts Scishow Space and Scishow Psych sometimes.

[@chrisboucher1987]

This is an amazing video. Thank you everyone at SciShow!

[@ronmaximilian6953]

What a wonderful topic for my daily visit to the throne.

[@TheColdestWater]

Conclusion...Invention of toilets is something that saved most of the humanity today :D

[@TheRepublicOfJohn]

I think human history shows that some of our most unique and technologically sophisticated differences from other Great Apes have to do with our aversion to poop - secluded or separated places for defecating, wearing underpants, the use of flowing water for performing mechanical work, the use of channels and pipes for confining the flow of liquids (and suspended solids), the invention of soap...

[@TheColdestWater]

@@TheRepublicOfJohn True....these inventions often go unsung but play the top role in our lives! :)

[@briangarrow448]

As a retired wastewater treatment plant professional, I approve of this message!

[@XSR_RUGGER]

@@TheColdestWater as a plumber I frequently say, "Not all heroes wear capes."

[@marissasoto6696]

Ayyyy! My state! I never hear about Chiapas anywhere! Yes PALENQUE is the best, my Mayan heritage is why I got interested in science as a kid.

[@Ice_Karma]

9:43 When I first moved to New Zealand in mid-1992, the first time I went to use the toilet I was confronted with a dual-flush model, which looked nothing like I had seen before... I actually had to ask for help to flush it... and honestly I wish dual-flush toilets were a bigger deal here in North America, instead of low-flow toilets!

[@cloudpoint0]

Some toilets have dual flush but have one handle as always - press the handle half way down for a small flush and fully down for the regular full flush. You don’t need a whole new toilet either, just a part replacement. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKa6i4ZjgcaSrNE

[@TheScarvig]

@@cloudpoint0 depending on the style of the flush mechanism you can even interrupt a flush manually by pulling the handle back up

[@morfy2581]

To me its a weird though not having dual flush cause thats normal to me, I was very confused when in the video he talked about it as if its something special.

[@lilaclizard4504]

ok, I am seriously curious as to what that duel flush model looked like that you needed help as opposed to just pressing one button after the other to learn what they did. I used to work in childcare & that's what the toddlers would do, don't know if anyone ever taught them how the system worked or if they just figured it out as a natural part of play & exploring their world

[@Ice_Karma]

@@lilaclizard4504 Nothing terribly unusual, as far as dual-flush models go. I'd just never seen one before, and it didn't help I'd been awake for 36 hours.

[@unicorn.mushroom]

Bidets! They are amazing! I love that I can always have a shower clean tush without the shower... plus use a lot less toilet paper 🎉

[@KOZMOuvBORG]

Haven't the Japanese developed a toilet that works much like a no-touch car wash under the seat?

[@bland9876]

I can't tell if we're trying to conserve water or conserve toilet paper which is better?

[@KOZMOuvBORG]

​@@bland9876 Similar debate with disposable or washable diapers, if you have an ample water supply (and treatment?) go for the latter. Don't need trees for asswipe, hemp and other fibers (bamboo? used for some underwear) can be used.

[@k.b.peterson8022]

@@bland9876 well, reverse osmosis exists and we have other plentiful supplies of water, people are just too dumb to use them, so I don't think water conservation is it the top of the list.

[@veramae4098]

@@k.b.peterson8022 Your comment is only one day old. I was shocked. Haven't you heard about the droughts in many parts of the world???? And they're probably here to stay and will get worse with Climate Change.

[@SaraKin123]

This channel is pure awesomeness !!!

[@billcar6805]

When will a non-stick toliet bowl be mandatory? I am sick of seeing the bowl looking like someone has just finished 'tokyo drifting' all over it.... Damn skid marks...

[@silverXnoise]

Increase your fiber intake bro. 🥦🥬🥒🥕🌵🕷🦟🐒

[@Godfirst986]

How about you flush immediately after you drop? It won't stick. That's what I do.

[@billcar6805]

@@Godfirst986 But then i can't show anyone.....

[@Godfirst986]

@@billcar6805 huh

[@ProctorsGamble]

Bill. I have one. It stays clean at least 5x longer

[@alphacide_2857]

Centuries of development to make one of the greatest tools in a human's arsenal. True science.

[@alphacide_2857]

@whizmo2010 lmao didn't think about that

[@renchesandsords]

"Cholera Outbreaks" the chorus of history

[@WolfgangDoW]

Smallpox

[@minerdalta]

have you two friendly gentlemen ever heard of our terrible nemesis, yersinia pestis?

[@meld_maker]

Such a cool video! I interned with an organisation working on the Reinvent The Toilet Challenge a few years ago, and in just a few months I will be graduating from uni (with a degree in process engineering) and starting a job as a water treatment engineer!

[@kamoogy]

I may come back to this. I can't watch and eat my pizza at the same time.

[@geinstein8407]

Weak

[@cavelord4766]

actually decreasing pipe diameter in the direction of flow decreases pressure but increases velocity. The Venturi effect.

[@veramae4098]

Good call.

[@rillloudmother]

I must say again, I love the use of B.C.E.

[@tiaxanderson9725]

Wait wait wait, is the USA behind on this? Dual-flush toilets must've been around for 40 or 50 years in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France at least. I recall seeing them in all of these countries and they weren't brand new toilets... Heck, in Japan, where you can still find those crouch toilets they literally have buttons or levers with 大 (big) and 小 (small).

[@NapaCat]

'MURICA!!!!!!' is behind on a lot.

[@isabellayoung3129]

The "new" toilets that we have are tankless high-velocity toilets.

[@spangelicious837]

My brother has one in his house but I had no idea why there were two buttons until now. I still have no idea which button is which. They should put the number on the button.

[@DomyTheMad420]

"some arid places have a nr1 and nr2 button" mate.. i've been over half of Europe. I only ever NOT see it in houses owned by the retired folks. "why waste 10% of our water bill when this one cheap button can save it?" seems like a no-brainer for most western people it seems. >.>

[@jblyon2]

Water here is cheap compared to most of Europe. I pay less than $15/month where I live, and it's an expensive area. People only really start caring because once the sewage treatment plants for your area get upgraded to modern standards the sewage bills roughly triple. Since sewage bills are based on water usage people suddenly start caring. Also, a lot of people in rural areas have plentiful well water and septic systems, so they don't really care how much water gets used. Plus any excess usage just filters back into the ground from the septic system. My parents have no reason to care that their old toilets use 3.5 gallons/flush. It comes out of the ground in the back yard, gets treated naturally by bacteria in the septic system, and seeps back into the ground in the front yard.

[@madamsuna6434]

Fun fact Chepstow castle also has a toilet that literally lets your poop fall off a cliff into the river below. It is really nerve racking sitting on that thrown knowing your derrière is very close to a dangerous end. It’s also a little windy and cold most days 🤣

[@libbybollinger5901]

@@louisfalcone5494 …okay?

[@gabor6259]

So how much do I have to pay to try it?

[@madamsuna6434]

@@gabor6259 £4 and a sneaky plop

[@mephistoxic3900]

Finally! Been wonder when sci show would do an episode on toilet history.

[@samehedi]

i really enjoy those behind everyday-life episodes

[@sueg2658]

Very interesting. Please address the composting toilets that many people who live off grid use. Thanks Hank.

[@roselyncampisi822]

I am glad that you educated us on this subject

[@jonmantooth9478]

I never knew that was a number 1 and 2 setting. I thought it was just fun to choose both.

[@morfy2581]

seriously?

[@lilaclizard4504]

@@morfy2581 seconded!

[@morfy2581]

@@lilaclizard4504 what?

[@lilaclizard4504]

@@morfy2581 um I agree with you. You've never heard that term before? Someone passes a motion & another person "seconds" it

[@morfy2581]

@@lilaclizard4504 good to know

[@nooneinparticular469]

I am an absolute fanatic about human waste management. I got my civil engineering degree and the volunteered abroad in the Pan African Republic teaching about how to build and use toilets and employing native construction workers to build safe latrines. I had a poster of Joseph Bazalgette on my wall in high school. I joined Engineers without Borders as soon as I was eligible. Thank you for sharing this information. Talking about toilets makes some people uncomfortable, but it’s an important conversation to have. People are dying every day of completely preventable diseases because we feel a bit awkward addressing the issue of toilet accessibility in developing nations.

[@boboblacksheep5003]

Perfect thing to watch in the toilet.

[@morfy2581]

*on the toilet, unless you are literally INSIDE the toilet which doesnt sound healthy.

[@AFlyingCookieLOL]

Perfect video to watch while having lunch!

[@RoadFai]

Hank seems struggling a little in his presentation. He's still my favourite presenter. Appreciate the entire Scishow team, love you folks lots.

[@MR-intel]

There are interesting ancient toilets in Tintagel (Devon, UK). People apparently socialised in an open room, pooping and chatting. The poop fell straight into the ocean, next to "Merlin's Cave". The same method, but with privacy, was used in a high Alpine hut not long ago, where my poop dropped onto the glacier below. It'll remain deep frozen for about another 100 years.

[@rhynhardtk]

09:45 We've had those number-one/number-two toilets in South Africa for what feels like twenty years.

[@grosstravis]

I like the length of these videos and the interesting topics

[@SKO49]

Knossos, the capital city of the Minoan civilisation is actually pronounced in Greek with the “k” as in Greek there are no silent letters like the k before the n in English! Keep up the good work

[@Danny_Boel]

indeed, The English language wasn't a thing in the Bronze age

[@truthalwayswinss]

Excellent Information with clear explanation. ❤

[@nightangeldk8967]

Hank telling facts about toilets, my brain "wait that rat in the chamber pot was a gerbil"

[@Tht1Gy]

Well, gerbils and hamsters are better suited for... Wait, that's something else... *smirk*

[@RuwinduGunatilake]

The technical comparison of various types of toilets is the real game of thrones I wanna be watching.

[@Ponderer_-vk3cz]

Could you make a video on how squatting while defacating is more healthy than just sitting normally?

[@hamndv]

It's been while since I've watched his videos he is such positive guy

[@christinafidance340]

So I guess the Romans never heard the saying “Don’t sh!t where you eat”???

[@kneau]

Perhaps we have the Romans to thank for this wisdom?

[@WanderTheNomad]

@@kneau Their hindsight was our foresight

[@sudazima]

they did, the cloaca maxima is the oldest sewer still in use in fact. they had public toilets with continous streaming water from aquaducts, somehow this wasnt mentioned

[@BeckBeckGo]

Rofl I love how videos like this really expose people who haven’t lived in an apartment before. “Omg the bathroom was next to the kitchen back then??” Dude. I have four rooms. Everything is next to everything right now.

[@Tht1Gy]

@@BeckBeckGo with walls between them...

[@The_Cyber_System]

Excellent innovations!

[@kaihtheloner]

Interesting video to come across as I’m having my coffee. The Nutella now reminds me of something, but I’ll try to stomach it.

[@sandralane1923]

Love learning from your show.

[@Chimera6297]

1970: I bet they will have flying cars in the future 2021: we have perfected the toilet

[@Doctoranthetardis]

The Humanuare handbook is a great take on the idea of toilets and the use of poop.

[@stoodmuffinpersonal3144]

We had some of those things, as a species, that long ago? That challenges a lot that I thought I knew

[@morfy2581]

Ancient society was much more civil than you would think.

[@veramae4098]

I've started reading about ancient cultures in the Americas. Olmecs invented the "0" "zero", parallel to Middle Eastern cultures of the time. Considered a major event in mathematics. Olmecs were before Mayans. The huge problem with early American societies was no bronze age. (Maybe their biggest technological problem.) Bronze is made from copper and tin. Huge deposits of copper, for example, in northern Michigan / Minnesota. Huge deposits of tin in Alaska. Hmmm. I see a problem here.

[@Hobbes4ever]

another informative video about body waste

[@SytRReD]

It's funny how you mentioned two-level flush at the end like it's an innovation, where I live (France) it's the standard since at least 10 or 15 years I think, and I even wonder if it's not mandatory if you set up a new flush! I love seeing little cultural differences such as this :)

[@kenbrown2808]

here, separate buttons are only around a decade or so old, but two level flushes have been around since the turn of the century.

[@JimmyMon666]

Amazingly where I live (Las Vegas) this is nowhere to be seen. But we also recycle all of our wastewater and put it back into the lake.

[@9SMTM6]

@@JimmyMon666 We usually don't put it into lakes, especially not "back into", instead we put it in our rivers, but in Europe full water recycling is also standard. All of these ecological things are pretty much standard in middle Europe. Not always certain on the reason, but we do have less abundant natural resources compared to population, and we do have EU rules.

[@HweolRidda]

@@JimmyMon666 "back" into the lake? I am pretty sure most (90+%?) of the water is being sucked out of aquifiers, not taken out of lakes. Las Vegas possibly wastes more non-renewable resouces per capita than other any city in the world.

[@JimmyMon666]

@@HweolRidda No we don't suck that much out of aquifers. 90% of our water does come from the river (by way of the lake/reservoir). We do suck some out of the ground, if we don't, it will come up naturally, sometimes in casino basements. We actually "store" water underground and rely almost exclusively on the river. 90% to be exact. As for waste, I'm sure there's a lot by the casinos and hotels. Not to mention the rich people here. We had a recent listing of the top 150 water users, mostly rich hotel owners, boxers, musicians such as the Fiver Finger Death Punch singer, etc. The rich may waste water, but the poor do not. And soon the city will ban all non functional grass.

[@pattiwicksteed3731]

I grew up in Bath - the site of the Roman Bath in your illustration. We were taught that it had one of the earliest self-flushing toilets (more like a urinal but whatever). As I recall it was a stone bucket trickle fed with water and carefully balanced so that when it was full the bucket tipped forward sending the water to wash away whatever was in the chute below it. :D

[@AshenDruid]

Reminds me of that Erfurt Latrine Disaster. 60 nobles falling into a septic pit and drowning 😂

[@veramae4098]

@@louisfalcone5494 Ahhh yes, the "it's mah freedom" argument. As for the rest, people only had the leisure to ponder the morality of construction / technology when modern efforts gave us that leisure. There's a passage in one of Robert Heinlein's books, a psychiatrist is discussing a rescued boy whose been alternately traumatized then rescued and treated kindly several times. He's a mess. The psych is telling the Space Patrol officer that if you kick dogs and treat them well on alternate days, they often go into a kind of coma, or become doggie psychopaths. The officer is appalled. "You do that to dogs?" Shrink looks at him steadily "You'd rather we do it with human beings?"

[@UGNAvalon]

@Louis Falcone You do realize that there’s dozens of fields of science that have ZERO interaction with animals, right? And if you hate the immorality of civilization, why are you spending your time using the Internet on an electronic device using pollutant-producing electricity, when you can be spending it frolicking in the wilderness? 🤔

[@daptomycinabd541]

thank you for your effort

[@brotherchrisrco1125]

I want to live to see the Star Trek Toilet. You just hit your Com Badge and say, " Beem it out Scotty"... 😆

[@injunsun]

That's where the replicators get the raw material for the food. "Flush twice; it's a long way to the mess hall."

[@brotherchrisrco1125]

@@injunsun True... 😆

[@joeshmoe8345]

Excellent post even by scishow standards

[@juniormynos9457]

I thought this video was gonna end with the toilets in space.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

I have a lot of people in my family who worked in water as did I some in Wastewater. I thank you for doing your part to kill the Ed Norton stereotype.

[@akumaking1]

There’s also been bathroom graffiti since Ancient Rome at least.

[@mho...]

the greatest archivement since the toilet!

[@tomtheplummer7322]

For a good time call V V V- I II I III I V😏🤷‍♂️

[@JimmyMon666]

@@tomtheplummer7322 Now I know what song is going to be stuck in my head all night. 8675309 or that would be VIII VI VII V III ? IX. Damn Romans and their lack of a 0. No wonder their empire fell.

[@bazza945]

Kilroy's still lingers here.

[@cancel.lgbtq.6892]

@@tomtheplummer7322 hahahaha !!!!

[@gmarcins]

Real great story! Thaks!

[@TylerDickey1]

I’m here so early I don’t know if I’m number 1 or number 2.

[@toilography]

As a toilet enthusiast I’d love to go back in time and see some ancestral Roman restrooms for myself. Awesome video

[@msavina9129]

If you’re lucky, you might find a person frozen in time on the toilet in Pompeii. 😄 They uncovered that historic fast food restaurant last yr. Amazing. They could even determine some foods they were serving.

[@toilography]

@@msavina9129 for sure!! Actually I’ve been to Pompeii and I did see one of the historic toilet blocks there but it was before I was interested in the subject, I’m not even sure I took a pic of it. I’d love to go back one day…

[@msavina9129]

@@toilography Awesome, Id love to go there for a very swift visit. 🌋😳 Toilet history seems like a very odd thing to be interested in, but I suppose it shows a lot about progression of cultures.

[@danielbridgman7938]

10:43 who left their drink next to the crap tumblers?

[@rolldecode]

Think the example of Singapore which reclaims water all the time is a great one to look up!

[@Master_Therion]

10:36 "The Reinvent the Toilet Challenge?” If that is anything like the "Ice Bucket Challenge" you can count me out.

[@irissupercoolsy]

3:50 We still have those at the "Scouts" and we call them here "HUDO" or "Hou uw darmen open", which translates to "Keep your intestines open"

[@debries1553]

I thought the number 1 and number 2 setting is pretty ubiquitous on any semi-modern toilet? I mean, I live in a place with a relative abundance of water yet most toilets either have distinct nr 1 and nr 2 buttons or allow for control of flush duration.

[@lilaclizard4504]

I think it's kinda like metric :))

[@Kd8OUR]

Perfect thing to watch while disposing of my waste.

[@h7opolo]

3:19 the funniest thing ever said on this channel.

[@OutsideGamerGirl]

My thought exactly!

[@arnaldorentes5371]

Thanks for the great video! A hint. When entering a house that has been uninhabited for some time, the smell is often pungent. The time without use dries up the hydraulic seal of the siphons, or "S" pipes and the stench of sewage returns to the rooms. Open all the faucets and showers, let the water run for a minute, flush all toilettes and ventilate the place well. The stench will disappear immediatelly.

[@felipetolentino4876]

The notification show up just as I was going to the throne

[@WolfgangDoW]

No mention of composting toilets and how they are water free, disease free, fly free, and turn waste into compost which reduces reliance on industrial fertilisers? Many countries use them now and they're amazing. All you need is a bucket, saw dust, and outside compost pile where you add green plant waste too. Fill for a year, let it settle for a year (it will cook all pathogens out while it ferments) then it's ready to use

[@DominikJaniec]

dealing with waste - one of the most important technology

[@Morya58]

New opening is dope 👌🏾

[@timypp2894]

You poop into your castle moat where it also had another benefit - it fed your carps fish (which you eat when they are fatten). Not a joke, it's a real thing in those days.

[@kristinahildebrand4015]

Mount Grace Abbey had water closets and pipes with drinking water in the 15th century - the water for toilets and for drinking were not only kept in separate systems but came, IIRC, from different springs.

[@johnnyli4702]

I thought there would be some mention of composting and incinerating toilets at the end...

[@__---__----__---__]

That nr 1 or 2 flush option has been the norm in Estonia as well. Didn't know it wasn't common in USA!

[@highliving-animatedvideos5831]

My wife keeps telling me to put down the toilet seat. I don't know, though. It's never done anything nasty to me.

[@daniels-mo9ol]

Did you miss the Southpark episode? Is life and death lol

[@mho...]

just tell her to not flush, when she falls in!

[@Aloddff]

Great subject and video

[@GoingtoHecq]

I do wish we had better sewers. Ones that don't combine with storm drains

[@jblyon2]

Until they get upgraded to modern standards the treatment plants in areas with combined storm drains and sewers regularly have to release untreated waste water when it rains. Once they're upgraded to handle the flow during heavy rains your sewage bill will roughly triple too! The systems should definitely be separate in most areas, though having combined ones in areas where rain is rare is important because the rainwater entering the storm drains tends to be badly contaminated.

[@CRISP.R]

Today on Sci show.. I learned what the function of the half button of my toilet is actually meant for in addition to the legend of Thomas crapper . It’s a good day 🚽

[@saravanroosbroeck5414]

The amount of real pictures of old toilets was disappointing. They didn't even include the thumbnail!

[@DiscoChixify]

Some people are reinventing waste management in their homes by using or creating special toilets that separate the liquid waste from the solid waste, allowing you to process them into night soil and liquid fertilizer. The solids age for up to a year in a closed container before being added to a compost pile and then after composting they’re added to the garden to grow food. Composting can happen from weeks to months and a healthy compost pile can get to 160 F to kill pathogens and unwanted seeds. In some cases it takes a year for compost to become finished compost, so this process from start to finish could take 2 years to turn poop into garden ready fertilizer.

[@adamfilipkalle]

5:46 the velocity increases and the pressure drops when the pipes narrows kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoiXo3yqd5djnpY. (3:48)

[@petemorgan8087]

I was going to post the same.

[@morfy2581]

Timestamped links: - click share - check "Start at" - type the timecode - copy link

[@mr.iceheads5888]

finally. a rare history!