Did you hear...

'Did you hear about the man who printed his tax return out on a roll of toilet paper. When he submitted it to the IRS, his note read, "Don't worry, it's clean".'







Did you hear...
...that toilet Paper was used in China as early as 875 A.D.-twenty years prior to the earliest known Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament on paper? (The Paper Project: a new light on paper).

Did you hear...
...that before today, toilet paper was originally not in a roll? A wonderful man by the name of Joseph Gayetty invented toilet paper in 1857. This new toilet paper was made out of flat sheets. Before Gayetty's invention, people would tear pages out of mail order catalogs. What's more, before catalogs were popular, leaves were used.

Did you hear...
...that oops!-unfortunately, Gayetty's invention failed. Another man by the name of Walter Alcock (of Great Britain) developed the toilet paper that we use and love today that is on a roll (instead of in flat sheets). However...

Did you hear...
...that, again, the invention failed. Sorry Buddy.


Finally...
...In 1867, two more wonderful men gave it a go. Thomas Edward and Clarence Scott (brothers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) were thankfully successful at making toilet paper that consisted of a small roll of 'perforated' paper. After mastering their new 'tp', they sold it from a push cart - this was the beginning of the Scott Paper Company.

Other interesting facts about our beloved tp...
-Unsold books have long been turned to toilet paper-solidified fact.
-In 1973 there was a toilet paper Shortage. 'The TP Shortage of 1973'...Apparently, Johnny Carson jokingly told his NBC Tonight Show audience that there was a massive shortage of toilet paper. People horded, draining supplies. Johnny then said, "just kidding," but the store shelves were out of TP. People thought that he was part of some shortage 'cover-up' scam so they continually horded more.




-Different names and slang terms are used for toilet paper in countries around the world, including "loo roll/paper," "toilet roll," "dunny roll/paper," "bog roll," "AP [for all-purpose] paper," "bathroom/toilet tissue," "jacks roll", "TP" or just "tissue."-


Thank you Edward and Clarence Scott.