6 Toilets From History, and What They Taught Us

This episode of SciShow is brought to you in partnership with Gates Notes. You can go to https://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.

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 http://www.scishowtangents.org
----------
Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow
----------
Huge thanks go to the following Patreon supporters for helping us keep SciShow free for everyone forever:

Chris Peters, Matt Curls, Kevin Bealer, Jeffrey Mckishen, Jacob, Christopher R Boucher, Nazara, charles george, Christoph Schwanke, Ash, Silas Emrys, KatieMarie Magnone, Eric Jensen, Adam Brainard, Piya Shedden, Alex Hackman, James Knight, GrowingViolet, Sam Lutfi, Alisa Sherbow, Jason A Saslow, Dr. Melvin Sanicas

----------
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scishow
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scishow
Tumblr: http://scishow.tumblr.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/thescishow
----------
Sources:
https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/what-the-earliest-toilets-say-about-how-human-civilization-has-evolved
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0101045#pone.0101045-Bull1
https://www.nature.com/articles/533456a
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/8/779/htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6382038/
https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/iwachap5.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311913604074
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X1630164X
https://iwaponline.com/ws/article-abstract/10/3/411/25056/Water-toilets-and-public-health-in-the-Roman-era?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/wastewater-treatment-process.page
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/turrets-toilets-partial-history-throne-room-180951788/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/everyone-poops-some-animals-eat-it-why-180961020/
https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/plague/faq.asp
https://home.howstuffworks.com/dual-flush-toilet.htm
https://www.sedron.com/janicki-omni-processor/overview/
https://www.britannica.com/science/bitumen
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mix-it-up-with-oil-and-water/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342220787_Similarities_of_Minoan_and_Indus_Valley_Hydro-Technologies
http://www.pihm.psu.edu/Downloads/Articles/French-2010.pdf
https://www.history.com/news/who-invented-the-flush-toilet

Images:
https://www.storyblocks.com/video/stock/overhead-of-toilet-flushing-and-water-spinning-clockwise-down-rw_x1mfqvjuq31z9t
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail,_2nd_register_of_the_stele_of_Dadusha,_king_of_Eshnunna,_c._1800_BCE._From_Tell_Asmar,_Iraq._Iraq_Museum.jpg
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/double-yellow-line-gm157181710-1761654
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salmonella_enterica_serovar_typhimurium_01.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Choghamish-edited.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palenque_(Mexico,_January_2020)_-_59_(50089382141).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palenque_(205).JPG
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bodiam-castle-10My8-1197.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GarderobeChirkCastle.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garderobe,_Peveril_Castle,_Derbyshire.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chepstow_Castle_(4197).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edo_period_chamber_pot_2.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bull_leaping_minoan_fresco_archmus_Heraklion_(cropped).jpg
https://www.storyblocks.com/video/stock/water-flushes-the-toilet-rewgpnynlk6yrp6mr
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/knossos-palace-ruins-at-crete-island-greece-famous-minoan-palace-of-knossos-gm1166161479-321139481
https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/drain-trap-cross-section-gm927129322-254355199
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/ancient-baths-gm182484374-12217200
https://www.storyblocks.com/video/stock/close-shot-of-fresh-water-coming-out-of-plastic-pipe-s0jioxgdokobc9qc7
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/bifidobacterium-bacterial-strain3d-illustration-gm1163670497-319601541
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Crapper_Toilet_Horta_Museum.jpg
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/pushing-the-flush-button-on-a-toilet-gm185220168-19422157
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/human-digestive-system-anatomy-gm1250595866-364798346
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reclaimed_Water_Jars.jpg