6 Toilets From History, and What They Taught Us

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  • Опубліковано 24 сер 2021
  • This episode of SciShow is brought to you in partnership with Gates Notes. You can go to www.gatesnotes.com/Developmen... 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.
    Across the world, and throughout history, different peoples have developed different ways to deal with their own waste. And while they didn’t always nail the design, their efforts to keep themselves safe have led to the thrones and sanitation systems we know and love today.
    Hosted by: Hank Green
    SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It's called SciShow Tangents. Check it out at www.scishowtangents.org
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    Sources:
    www.discovermagazine.com/plan...
    journals.plos.org/plosone/art...
    www.nature.com/articles/533456a
    www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/8/77...
    www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
    www.who.int/water_sanitation_...
    www.sciencedirect.com/science...
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    iwaponline.com/ws/article-abs...
    www1.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/w...
    www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...
    www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...
    emergency.cdc.gov/agent/plagu...
    home.howstuffworks.com/dual-f...
    www.sedron.com/janicki-omni-p...
    www.britannica.com/science/bi...
    www.scientificamerican.com/ar...
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    www.pihm.psu.edu/Downloads/Art...
    www.history.com/news/who-inve...
    Images:
    www.storyblocks.com/video/sto...
    commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
    www.istockphoto.com/photo/dou...
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    www.istockphoto.com/photo/bif...
    commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
    www.istockphoto.com/photo/pus...
    www.istockphoto.com/photo/hum...
    commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1 тис.

  • @SciShow
    @SciShow  2 роки тому +100

    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
      @Darth69906 2 роки тому +3

      Sadly you need to up your game

    • @ChessIsBestWithACupOfScience
      @ChessIsBestWithACupOfScience 2 роки тому +1

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

    • @Darth69906
      @Darth69906 2 роки тому

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

    • @Darth69906
      @Darth69906 2 роки тому

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

    • @hansolowe19
      @hansolowe19 2 роки тому

      This video was a real stinker.

  • @briangarrow448
    @briangarrow448 2 роки тому +1672

    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
      @ScumfuckMcDoucheface 2 роки тому +80

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

    • @staciderfelt
      @staciderfelt 2 роки тому +31

      I would love to learn about these things!!

    • @Sorcerers_Apprentice
      @Sorcerers_Apprentice 2 роки тому +35

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

    • @kirkw1740
      @kirkw1740 2 роки тому +22

      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
      @HauxYZ250 2 роки тому +26

      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...
    @mho... 2 роки тому +788

    "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
      @nevertrusasmurf 2 роки тому +80

      Belgium too, never knew it differently

    • @bleh329
      @bleh329 2 роки тому +54

      Ah yes. By using Australia as an example, they are specifically stating that your country doesn't have such a thing. Yup.

    • @ElizabethDohertyThomas
      @ElizabethDohertyThomas 2 роки тому +37

      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
      @clogcandy 2 роки тому +15

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

    • @georgplaz
      @georgplaz 2 роки тому +18

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

  • @Birdman32
    @Birdman32 2 роки тому +114

    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

  • @shadycactus6146
    @shadycactus6146 2 роки тому +297

    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
      @adityamohan1773 2 роки тому +11

      U ain't alone lad haha.

    • @gus-vanover
      @gus-vanover 2 роки тому +3

      Mood

    • @AskMia411
      @AskMia411 2 роки тому +3

      Saaaaaaame!

    • @naufalap
      @naufalap 2 роки тому

      well albedo is ancient after all

    • @mayoite160
      @mayoite160 2 роки тому +4

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

  • @Not-an-Alien
    @Not-an-Alien 2 роки тому +23

    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
      @veramae4098 2 роки тому

      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
      @mahnas92 2 роки тому +1

      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
      @Not-an-Alien 2 роки тому

      @@veramae4098 why?

    • @Not-an-Alien
      @Not-an-Alien 2 роки тому +1

      @@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.

  • @Dragrath1
    @Dragrath1 2 роки тому +264

    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
      @dorabrooks76 2 роки тому +71

      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. 🤢

    • @jimmym3352
      @jimmym3352 2 роки тому +18

      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
      @stoodmuffinpersonal3144 2 роки тому +8

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

    • @lordgarion514
      @lordgarion514 2 роки тому +22

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

    • @nathanberrigan9839
      @nathanberrigan9839 2 роки тому +20

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

  • @than217
    @than217 2 роки тому +249

    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
      @elihinze3161 2 роки тому +4

      i am SCREAMING

    • @injunsun
      @injunsun 2 роки тому +20

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

    • @salinasantiago8544
      @salinasantiago8544 2 роки тому +3

      They are stealing your little smelling babies.

    • @DiscoChixify
      @DiscoChixify 2 роки тому +5

      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
      @nunyabiznes33 2 роки тому +3

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

  • @TheSuzberry
    @TheSuzberry 2 роки тому +95

    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
      @kneau 2 роки тому +19

      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
      @michagrill9432 2 роки тому +2

      😬🤢🤮

    • @rydaddy2867
      @rydaddy2867 2 роки тому +9

      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
      @kaypgirl 2 роки тому +6

      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.

  • @ethan-loves
    @ethan-loves 2 роки тому +77

    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.

  • @ragnkja
    @ragnkja 2 роки тому +40

    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
      @AntediluvianRomance 2 роки тому +5

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

    • @ilkyway5854
      @ilkyway5854 2 роки тому +5

      The German word for wardrobe is Garderobe.

    • @ragnkja
      @ragnkja 2 роки тому +3

      @@ilkyway5854
      And also in Norwegian.

    • @timofeypetrenko2264
      @timofeypetrenko2264 2 роки тому +2

      @@ilkyway5854 Same here in Russia.

  • @ptolemycleopatra
    @ptolemycleopatra 2 роки тому +18

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

    • @atomic_wait
      @atomic_wait 2 роки тому

      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
      @glasshalffull8625 2 роки тому +1

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

    • @mayn90s19
      @mayn90s19 2 роки тому +1

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

  • @twocvbloke
    @twocvbloke 2 роки тому +23

    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
      @minerblake7494 2 роки тому +2

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

    • @melethalewis9315
      @melethalewis9315 2 роки тому +1

      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.😍😍

  • @bendirval3612
    @bendirval3612 2 роки тому +33

    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
      @exogator 2 роки тому +4

      Popular in Japan I think, should be everywhere honestly

    • @alisoncircus
      @alisoncircus 2 роки тому +6

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

  • @patbates13
    @patbates13 2 роки тому +16

    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.

  • @MajoraZ
    @MajoraZ 2 роки тому +76

    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
      @eileennovak1656 2 роки тому +8

      🧠 interesting ty 💟

    • @OleanderSmoothie
      @OleanderSmoothie 2 роки тому +8

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

    • @Catlily5
      @Catlily5 2 роки тому +7

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

    • @veramae4098
      @veramae4098 2 роки тому +4

      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
      @nunyabiznes33 2 роки тому +1

      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?

  • @zenebean
    @zenebean 2 роки тому +436

    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
      @paganlecter6819 2 роки тому +22

      Electricity is another big one too

    • @paulawolanski3237
      @paulawolanski3237 2 роки тому +24

      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
      @dailytransparencywithcovid4666 2 роки тому +2

      @@paulawolanski3237 second that

    • @grejen711
      @grejen711 2 роки тому +7

      Modern Dentistry is pretty damn nice!

    • @eileennovak1656
      @eileennovak1656 2 роки тому

      @@paulawolanski3237 💐👍💟

  • @applegal3058
    @applegal3058 2 роки тому +11

    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
      @ScumfuckMcDoucheface 2 роки тому

      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 =)

  • @billcar6805
    @billcar6805 2 роки тому +34

    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
      @silverXnoise 2 роки тому +3

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

    • @Godfirst986
      @Godfirst986 2 роки тому +1

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

    • @billcar6805
      @billcar6805 2 роки тому +2

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

    • @Godfirst986
      @Godfirst986 2 роки тому

      @@billcar6805 huh

    • @ProctorsGamble
      @ProctorsGamble 2 роки тому

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

  • @chrisboucher1987
    @chrisboucher1987 2 роки тому +1

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

  • @kamoogy
    @kamoogy 2 роки тому +18

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

  • @TheColdestWater
    @TheColdestWater 2 роки тому +21

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

    • @TheRepublicOfJohn
      @TheRepublicOfJohn 2 роки тому +6

      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
      @TheColdestWater 2 роки тому +7

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

    • @briangarrow448
      @briangarrow448 2 роки тому +5

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

    • @XSR_RUGGER
      @XSR_RUGGER 2 роки тому +3

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

  • @tiaxanderson9725
    @tiaxanderson9725 2 роки тому +19

    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
      @NapaCat 2 роки тому +4

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

    • @isabellayoung3129
      @isabellayoung3129 2 роки тому

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

    • @spangelicious837
      @spangelicious837 2 роки тому

      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.

  •  2 роки тому +14

    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 🤣

  • @briangarrow448
    @briangarrow448 2 роки тому +26

    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!

    • @misterflibble6601
      @misterflibble6601 2 роки тому +7

      I'm with you Brian. I had mobility issues after a stroke and had difficulty with um... hygiene. The bidet attachment proved to be the ideal solution. A twist of a dial and a few seconds of rinsing and voila perfect hygiene without stress, strain or discomfort. I don't know why every one in America isn't using one

    • @junrosamura645
      @junrosamura645 2 роки тому +4

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

    • @nobetawedielikemysanity
      @nobetawedielikemysanity 2 роки тому +2

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

    • @eileennovak1656
      @eileennovak1656 2 роки тому +3

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

    • @edwinhuang9244
      @edwinhuang9244 2 роки тому

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

  • @madamsuna6434
    @madamsuna6434 2 роки тому +12

    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 🤣

  • @Ice_Karma
    @Ice_Karma 2 роки тому +13

    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
      @cloudpoint0 2 роки тому +1

      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.
      ua-cam.com/video/juWZS-La_vo/v-deo.html

    • @TheScarvig
      @TheScarvig 2 роки тому

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

    • @morfy2581
      @morfy2581 2 роки тому +1

      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
      @lilaclizard4504 2 роки тому +1

      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
      @Ice_Karma 2 роки тому +1

      @@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.

  • @3.6_Sara
    @3.6_Sara 2 роки тому

    This channel is pure awesomeness !!!

  • @truthalwayswinss
    @truthalwayswinss 2 місяці тому

    Excellent Information with clear explanation. ❤

  • @renchesandsords
    @renchesandsords 2 роки тому +60

    "Cholera Outbreaks" the chorus of history

    • @kimarna
      @kimarna 2 роки тому

      Smallpox

    • @minerdalta
      @minerdalta 2 роки тому

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

  • @kieffergabrielleebora4083
    @kieffergabrielleebora4083 2 роки тому +8

    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
      @radagastwiz 2 роки тому

      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
      @gabor6259 2 роки тому

      Hank also hosts Scishow Space and Scishow Psych sometimes.

  • @roselyncampisi822
    @roselyncampisi822 2 роки тому

    I am glad that you educated us on this subject

  • @marissasoto6696
    @marissasoto6696 2 роки тому +7

    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.

  • @ronmaximilian6953
    @ronmaximilian6953 2 роки тому +7

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

  • @DomyTheMad420
    @DomyTheMad420 2 роки тому +15

    "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
      @jblyon2 2 роки тому +1

      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.

  • @sandralane1923
    @sandralane1923 2 роки тому

    Love learning from your show.

  • @gmarcins
    @gmarcins 2 роки тому +1

    Real great story! Thaks!

  • @cavelord4766
    @cavelord4766 2 роки тому +4

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

  • @nswanberg
    @nswanberg 2 роки тому +4

    My mother always said the flush toilet was the greatest invention in history.

  • @The_Cyber_System
    @The_Cyber_System 2 роки тому

    Excellent innovations!

  • @samehedi
    @samehedi 2 роки тому +2

    i really enjoy those behind everyday-life episodes

  • @nightangeldk8967
    @nightangeldk8967 2 роки тому +21

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

    • @Tht1Gy
      @Tht1Gy 2 роки тому

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

  • @christinafidance340
    @christinafidance340 2 роки тому +114

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

    • @kneau
      @kneau 2 роки тому +23

      Perhaps we have the Romans to thank for this wisdom?

    • @WanderTheNomad
      @WanderTheNomad 2 роки тому +11

      @@kneau Their hindsight was our foresight

    • @sudazima
      @sudazima 2 роки тому +3

      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
      @BeckBeckGo 2 роки тому +8

      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
      @Tht1Gy 2 роки тому

      @@BeckBeckGo with walls between them...

  • @grosstravis
    @grosstravis 2 роки тому

    I like the length of these videos and the interesting topics

  • @awesomage1
    @awesomage1 2 роки тому

    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!

  • @boboblacksheep5003
    @boboblacksheep5003 2 роки тому +3

    Perfect thing to watch in the toilet.

    • @morfy2581
      @morfy2581 2 роки тому

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

  • @daptomycinabd541
    @daptomycinabd541 2 роки тому

    thank you for your effort

  • @AFlyingCookieLOL
    @AFlyingCookieLOL 2 роки тому +1

    Perfect video to watch while having lunch!

  • @rillloudmother
    @rillloudmother 2 роки тому +7

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

  • @unicorn.mushroom
    @unicorn.mushroom 2 роки тому +12

    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
      @KOZMOuvBORG 2 роки тому +1

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

    • @bland9876
      @bland9876 2 роки тому +2

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

    • @KOZMOuvBORG
      @KOZMOuvBORG 2 роки тому +2

      ​@@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
      @k.b.peterson8022 2 роки тому

      @@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
      @veramae4098 2 роки тому +1

      @@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.

  • @Hobbes4ever
    @Hobbes4ever 2 роки тому

    another informative video about body waste

  • @Aloddff
    @Aloddff 2 роки тому

    Great subject and video

  • @oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368
    @oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 2 роки тому +45

    We also learned that the correct way is to hang the toilet roll so the end of paper is furthest away from the wall. Any thing else is a sin against nature.

    • @AwkwardKidAdventures
      @AwkwardKidAdventures 2 роки тому +7

      Oh damn, shots fired 😂

    • @kenbrown2808
      @kenbrown2808 2 роки тому +4

      my toilet roll is vertical. problem solved.

    • @primalconvoy
      @primalconvoy 2 роки тому +1

      Tell that to the developers behind the videogame, "Fallout 4"...

    • @KOZMOuvBORG
      @KOZMOuvBORG 2 роки тому +9

      Unless you have cats

    • @geinstein8407
      @geinstein8407 2 роки тому +2

      Just use a bath cloth no need to waste paper
      Mother Earth has given us these trees and now we wipe are asses with Mother Earths gifts? ? ? ?
      😂😂😂😂😂
      [Joking]

  • @bleh329
    @bleh329 2 роки тому +6

    I was just looking up info about old-fashioned and ancient toilets. After watching Extra Credit's video about a certain latrine incident.

    • @eileennovak1656
      @eileennovak1656 2 роки тому +1

      Erfurt party was fun. Yikes. I had to check out the latrine incident. What fun. Very interesting. Thanks for the tip.

    • @bleh329
      @bleh329 2 роки тому +2

      @@eileennovak1656 You so welcome.
      I'm just perplexed that it was apparently deep enough that people actually drowned.

    • @eileennovak1656
      @eileennovak1656 2 роки тому +1

      @@bleh329 ikr! Can you imagine? Horrible way to go.

  • @Morya58
    @Morya58 2 роки тому

    New opening is dope 👌🏾

  • @joeshmoe8345
    @joeshmoe8345 2 роки тому

    Excellent post even by scishow standards

  • @jonmantooth9478
    @jonmantooth9478 2 роки тому +18

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

    • @morfy2581
      @morfy2581 2 роки тому +2

      seriously?

    • @lilaclizard4504
      @lilaclizard4504 2 роки тому

      @@morfy2581 seconded!

    • @morfy2581
      @morfy2581 2 роки тому

      @@lilaclizard4504 what?

    • @lilaclizard4504
      @lilaclizard4504 2 роки тому

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

    • @morfy2581
      @morfy2581 2 роки тому

      @@lilaclizard4504 good to know

  • @kaihtheloner
    @kaihtheloner 2 роки тому +3

    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.

  • @hamndv
    @hamndv 2 роки тому

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

  • @DonnaSnyder
    @DonnaSnyder 2 роки тому

    Excellent

  • @rhynhardtk
    @rhynhardtk 2 роки тому +9

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

  • @SKO49
    @SKO49 2 роки тому +5

    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
      @Danny_Boel 2 роки тому

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

  • @corro202
    @corro202 2 роки тому

    Great video.

  • @alphacide_2857
    @alphacide_2857 2 роки тому +1

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

    • @alphacide_2857
      @alphacide_2857 2 роки тому

      @whizmo2010 lmao didn't think about that

  • @sueg2658
    @sueg2658 2 роки тому +4

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

  • @mephistoxic3900
    @mephistoxic3900 2 роки тому +3

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

  • @pattiwicksteed3731
    @pattiwicksteed3731 2 роки тому

    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

  • @MR-intel
    @MR-intel 2 роки тому +1

    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.

  • @Chimera6297
    @Chimera6297 2 роки тому +4

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

  • @akumaking1
    @akumaking1 2 роки тому +26

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

    • @mho...
      @mho... 2 роки тому +2

      the greatest archivement since the toilet!

    • @tomtheplummer7322
      @tomtheplummer7322 2 роки тому +12

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

    • @jimmym3352
      @jimmym3352 2 роки тому

      @@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
      @bazza945 2 роки тому

      Kilroy's still lingers here.

    • @cancel.lgbtq.6892
      @cancel.lgbtq.6892 2 роки тому

      @@tomtheplummer7322 hahahaha !!!!

  • @DisemboweledDragon
    @DisemboweledDragon 2 роки тому

    More Minoans please!!

  • @altman575
    @altman575 2 роки тому

    I recommend the Glacier Bay power flush toilet. I have had it for a year. Only needs one flush. It doesn't clog and uses a 1/3 of the water of my old toilet. Best $160 for your bathroom.

  • @juniormynos9457
    @juniormynos9457 2 роки тому +7

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

  • @Ponderer_-vk3cz
    @Ponderer_-vk3cz 2 роки тому +4

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

  • @Kd8OUR
    @Kd8OUR 2 роки тому

    Perfect thing to watch while disposing of my waste.

  • @mr.iceheads5888
    @mr.iceheads5888 2 роки тому +1

    finally. a rare history!

  • @MrAshCarr
    @MrAshCarr 2 роки тому +14

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

    • @veramae4098
      @veramae4098 2 роки тому +3

      @@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
      @UGNAvalon 2 роки тому

      @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? 🤔

  • @danielbridgman7938
    @danielbridgman7938 2 роки тому +4

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

  • @kirkmorrison6131
    @kirkmorrison6131 2 роки тому

    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.

  • @casualgamer7112
    @casualgamer7112 2 роки тому

    9:42 ohhhhhhhhh, I seen many toilets have that and I was really confused of why there were two buttons, so I always just picked a random button lol.

  • @stoodmuffinpersonal3144
    @stoodmuffinpersonal3144 2 роки тому +3

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

    • @morfy2581
      @morfy2581 2 роки тому

      Ancient society was much more civil than you would think.

    • @veramae4098
      @veramae4098 2 роки тому

      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.

  • @RoadFai
    @RoadFai 2 роки тому +7

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

  • @Doctoranthetardis
    @Doctoranthetardis 2 роки тому

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

  • @NEEDCheese
    @NEEDCheese 2 роки тому

    Magnificent facilities

  • @debries1553
    @debries1553 2 роки тому +3

    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.

  • @farhanpmrt
    @farhanpmrt 2 роки тому +3

    9:46 I thought all toilets have two buttons

    • @morfy2581
      @morfy2581 2 роки тому +1

      Most do in most of the world.

  • @amberwalsh2712
    @amberwalsh2712 2 роки тому

    Lol Hank cracks me up

  • @arnaldorentes5371
    @arnaldorentes5371 2 роки тому

    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.

  • @Master_Therion
    @Master_Therion 2 роки тому +3

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

  • @highliving-animatedvideos5831
    @highliving-animatedvideos5831 2 роки тому +13

    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
      @daniels-mo9ol 2 роки тому +3

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

    • @mho...
      @mho... 2 роки тому +1

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

  • @RuwinduGunatilake
    @RuwinduGunatilake 2 роки тому

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

  • @rolldecode
    @rolldecode 2 роки тому

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

  • @SytRReD
    @SytRReD 2 роки тому +8

    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
      @kenbrown2808 2 роки тому

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

    • @jimmym3352
      @jimmym3352 2 роки тому

      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
      @9SMTM6 2 роки тому +1

      @@jimmym3352 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.

    • @Allan_son
      @Allan_son 2 роки тому +2

      @@jimmym3352 "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.

    • @jimmym3352
      @jimmym3352 2 роки тому

      @@Allan_son 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.

  • @TylerDickey1
    @TylerDickey1 2 роки тому +5

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

  • @irissupercoolsy
    @irissupercoolsy 2 роки тому

    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"

  • @AristotleFullThrottle
    @AristotleFullThrottle 2 роки тому

    That was cool

  • @felipetolentino4876
    @felipetolentino4876 2 роки тому +3

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

  • @iainballas
    @iainballas 2 роки тому +6

    Ah yes
    the age old question
    How do I go, without having to go anywhere?

  • @__---__----__---__
    @__---__----__---__ 11 місяців тому

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

  • @kristinahildebrand4015
    @kristinahildebrand4015 2 роки тому

    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.