Who invented toilet paper?
This is a maaaajor debate in the TP community. Well, not really, but there is some disagreement. Don’t worry, we’re here to get to the bottom of it (hehe, bottom). So who really did invent toilet paper? Let’s hop in the time machine, shall we? We hear travelling via the space-time continuum is much better for the environment.
While there is a myriad of weird stuff people used before TP, the first documented use of paper for your bum was in 6th century Medieval China. While paper had been used for padding and wrapping material for centuries before, it wasn’t until scholar Yan Zhitui documented its first wipe in 589 AD.
Almost a thousand years later, paper became much more widespread in China. The Ming dynasty reportedly produced hundreds of thousands of sheets of paper in the 14th century. But this wasn’t like the rolls we’re used to today — we’re talking 60 by 90 cm (2ft by 3ft) sheets that were primarily for wealthy and royal families.
So it’s settled — the Chinese invented toilet paper, right? Well, here’s where the debate starts.
How can there be toilet paper, before the toilet was even invented? Sir John Harington created the flushable toilet in 1596, so any “TP” used before this would technically just be “P”.
So let’s flux this time machine’s capacitor and jump to the year 1857.
Many people give credit to Joseph Gayetty for inventing modern toilet paper. His first product slogan was, "The greatest necessity of the age! Gayetty's medicated paper for the water-closet." Gayetty sold packages of flat paper which had his name watermarked onto each sheet – which means you’d wipe your bum with his name. Not our idea of good marketing, but we’re called Who Gives A Crap, so take our opinion with a grain of salt.
About 20 years after Gayetty’s invention, a New Yorker named Seth Wheeler registered a patent for rolled and perforated paper. Both Wheeler and Gayetty added aloe to their sheets and sold the “medicated” paper as a remedy for haemorrhoids. Fun!
As time went on, the flushable toilet became more commonplace, which in turn helped toilet paper gain popularity. In 1942, the first 2-ply paper was created in Britain, ushering in an era of manufacturing for more comfort. (If you’re curious, our rolls are 3-ply – how luxe!)
Alas, until we obtain 1.21 gigawatts and a Delorean, we’ll never really know the truth about who invented TP. But what do you think? Was it the people of Medieval China, Gayetty and his watermarked sheets, or Wheeler and his patented roll? Or was it us? After all, what even was toilet paper before our rolls made it to the scene?
