h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Oh and the Moses thing... Great.

I'm thinking on the possibility of including it - at the beginning perhaps. Are you shure about this citation?

Cheers,

HELL

Another very nice entry Hell

You may not be native to Britain but I think you've found what makes us tick. The toilet, the source of most British humour!

I had a wee look on the Thomas Crapper thing and you're right about the myth - however apparently the issue of whether the word crap comes from his name or not is still hotly disputed.

I got this from a plumbing website...

Myth: The word "crap" is derived from Thomas Crapper's name.

Fact. The origin of crap is still being debated. Possible sources include the Dutch Krappe; Low German krape meaning a vile and inedible fish; Middle English crappy, and Thomas Crapper. Where crap is derived from Crapper, it is by a process know as, pardon the pun, a back formation.


Anyway, great article. It reminds me of a scene in Blackadder II when he's trying to sell his house.

Propspective Buyer: What about the privvies?

Edmund Blackadder: Well Ma'am. In terms of privvy facilities, the house has a set of front wall orifices with a wide guttering facility below.

Prospective Buyer: You mean you crap out of the window.

Blackadder: Yes!




Great work

ROTFL I *love* the Blackadder series.

Thomas Crapper: If 'crapping' comes from 'Crapper' or not... it's at least well possible. And for me that is enough to have him in the entry for his surname and his often being mentioned along with toilets and all that 'crap'.

In my serious researchuing I didn't bump into his name, so for me he was totally unknown until he was mentioned here. (Orc.: I think we looked up the same plumbing page...)

*You'll never crap the same*

HELL

Its amazing what you get when you type 'crapper' into the adress box!

"on Knossos" should be "in the palace of Knossos in Greece". I believe the palace is 3500 years old, rather than 4000 as you say. (1450BC is the normal dating of the ruins of Knossos).

Well, maybe the *toilet* is 4000 years old, and the palace was built around it 500 years later.

(I read the toilet was said to be 4000 years old in my literature... But I'll check it out again)

And anyways 3500 is still a lot.

Greetings,

HELL

Foud it. There is evidence the toilet of the caste was used in 1700BC and the caste itself was built around 1900BC (with no evidence that the toilet was NOT there at this point).

The castle was DESTROYED in 1450 BC, so the ruins are dated 1450 BC as you pointed out... So Gnomon, pardon me, but I think we could settle for 'in the castle of Knossos, Greece, almost 4000 years ago'.

Whaddaya say?

HELL

The Moses/Deuteronomy quote *is* from the holy book, believe you me Just do a search for 'bible online' or 'Bibel online Volltext', there are many copies available online.

That wording sounds good to me, Hell.

Hello HELL,

I'm enjoying the Entry and the discussions here in PR.
Coincidentally, there was an item on the same subject on a radio show here a few weeks ago. It also talked about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire and hygene. They mentioned chamber pots with paintings of hated enemies in the bottom. Also communal toilets in Rome. They didn't mention Mohenjo Daro by name but did talk about early toilets in Pakistan. The show is Basic Black. You can listen to it on the web (just string the show's name together). It was the Bathroom Stuff item on the June 9th show.


Awu

Eh? Where? What radio?

I started this entry and my researching after I read a book that was on hygiene in the Roman Empire. It was basically the part about the 144 public toilets that made me go wow. So I looked around and found lots of amazing stuff on this subject (including the ablution techniques - which are even absurder, and are yet to come in form of an entry). A small compilation of the stuff I found is what I presented here...

Wow... What an absurd coincidence - I'll go buy toilet paper shares!

Saludos,

HELL

Just went there (the CBS radio show)... There's even a book coming out on this toilet stuff!!! Seems I've just hit a current hot-spot. Had I payed more attention in my English course... I could be a famous writer by now.

Anyways, now my short contribution is up for h2g2 and for everyone to see. That's sort of famous too I guess.

Cheerio,

HELL

Hi HELL,

The radio station is CBC Radio 1. (But it's aired on a lot of US public radio member stations). Where - Canada.

I don't think I'm allowed to post an URL.

The book was called Bathroom Stuff by Holman Wang. He was interviewed on the show. Before toilet paper, they used "hay, grass, sea shells (that's what he said) and corn cobs".

Awu

Yep, yep, SP I guess

I was there. Didn't hear the show (no soundcard here) but clicked on the book-links.

You say he's also talked about ablution techniques???? Drats... Have to hurry. At least I hope he didn't talk about the most crazy stuff.

*off to write ablution stuff*

HELL

Stay ,
WD

A couple of notes;
First WD is also one letter away from WC the abreviation
for Water Closet.
Second a recent article on the Coriollus effect debunked the
idea that toilets flush clockwise above the equator and
counter-clockwise below it. The design of the flushing
mechanism is what decides which direction tyhe water will flush.

Best change my signature then....

But on a lighter note; IMHO, there should be a bit on what is the most important part of the toilet's engineering; the u-bend. I think that a few years back there was a case of either a ship blowing up or catching fire due to a faulty u-bend; methane build up and a spark or short-circuit from somewhere else. So when the s**t hit the fan, the ship went with it.

Anyway, stay ,
WD (+= )

Another possible item of note. A reuters article on 26 July,2000
stated that Archaeologists found a toilet with running water( presumably no water closet) a stone seat and comfortable armrests in the tomb of A chinese king(Western Han Dynasty) dated between 206 BC and AD 24( for why AD goes before the date see my page on Anno Domini :-.

Holy s**t,

First... Thanks for mentioning WD - 1 = WC; I was only replying to someone else who thought WD - 1 = VD and kept wondering... I too did not understand the joke until some two or three posts later... But thanks anyway. Sometimes it takes a loooong while until I get all the jokes.

More tomorrow, my daughter just had an accident.

HELL

How is your daughter?

I agree with Shagbark that the Coriolis Effect does not affect toilets.