Toilet Paper: Mankind as a race has certainly come a long way. We look around and see skyscrapers, motor vehicles and toilet paper and we think to ourselves, 'my word, how did we ever survive without toilet paper!' Some things in life are truly amazing, and toilet paper just happens to be one of those revolutionary mechanisms that changed the face of history and hygiene forever.
Before the invention of toilet paper in 1857 as we know it today, many alternatives were employed and they differ from country to country and among different people groups. For instance, in Rome a sponge on a stick was used and placed into a bucket of salt-water after use, whereas in some southern States in the US pages of directories and calendars were used well into the 1900's.
But times evolved and the Roman Empire rose and fell and glossy paper was introduced to the printing industry. Soon enough, after experimenting with shells, fruit peels, hay, sticks and all manner of what we can only call lunacy today, toilet paper was introduced to us. Today there are over 5,000 different companies producing bathroom tissue around the world trying to make our lives more convenient, clean and efficient.
The average sheet of toilet paper weighs in at a little over .22 grams and 4.0625 inches per square reaching approximately338.5 feet per roll and 5.3 million miles of toilet paper per day. That's a lot of toilet paper! When toilet paper was first invented it was a simple cotton one sheet ply that was absorbent and designed to break down or disintegrate when it made contact with water to prevent clogging of the toilet bowl.
It's not quite as hard as in earlier historical times to pick the right items to clean yourself, but with so many different kinds and types on the market today, it can get a bit tricky. The wide range of toilet paper brands available on the market offers everything from super-soft feel to moisturizing and double and triple ply thickness, pillow soft to scented choices.
Indeed toilet paper as we know it today has truly undergone an evolution of change even though it is still a very taboo topic to talk about and often it is the butt of many jokes...literally! But hopefully with the understanding of how much toilet paper has changed the entire face of civilization toilet paper can finally get the respect it deserves.
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