Toilet paper

Toilet paper, lavatory paper or toilet tissue is a tissue paper product designed for the cleaning of the anus after defecation or the genitals after urination.

Timeline

• 14th century: toilet paper first produced in China (for the Emperor's use)
• 1596: invention of the flushing toilet by Sir John Harington
• 1700s: newspaper is a popular choice of toilet paper since it is widely available
• 1710s: bidet invented
• 1857: Joseph Cayetty sells first factory-made toilet paper in the USA
• 1879: Scott Paper Company sells the first toilet paper on a roll, although initially they do not print their company name on the packaging
• late 19th century: rolls of perforated toilet paper available for the first time, replaces razor or knife on dispensers
• 1890s: Sears catalogue first becomes available, commonly used in rural America
• 1900: plumbing improvements of the Victorian era have led to wide use of flushing toilet and (in Europe) the bidet
• 1930s: Sears starts publishing its catalogue on less absorbent glossy paper
• 1935: Northern Tissue advertises its toilet paper as "splinter-free"
• 1942: first two-ply toilet paper, St. Andrew's Paper Mill in England, toilet paper becomes softer and more pliable
• 1943: novelty toilet paper printed with images of Hitler
• 1973, December 19: comedian Johnny Carson causes a three week toilet paper shortage in the USA after a joke scares consumers into stockpiling supplies
• 1980: the paperless toilet invented in Japan (combination toilet, bidet and drying element, see Japanese toilet)
• 1990-1991: Gulf War, American troops camouflage tanks with toilet paper
• 1990s: tissues containing ingredients like aloe begin to be heavily marketed in the USA
• 1990s: in the United Kingdom, Andrex sells the first moist toilet tissues (compare wet wipes or baby wipes)
• Early 2000s: In the wake of the September 11th Attacks, novelty toilet papers in the USA started getting printed with images of Osama Bin Laden.
• 2005: Renova launched the first Black Toilet Paper.