First produced in China in 1391, toilet paper was only allotted to the emperor for his own personal use. At the time, the first toilet paper measured 2 by 3 feet and came as a sheet. This article will provide more information on the invention of toilet paper and other firsts in history.
A Significant Bathroom Need
It wasn’t until 1890 that toilet paper was manufactured in rolls , a transition that took almost 500 years to complete. Thanks to the Scott Paper Company, the business of making paper towels was explored , a direct response to a failed attempt to create a toilet tissue made out of crepe. The paper was so thick that it was impossible to cut and roll into toilet paper. The next step was to construct larger roles with perforations. The new measurements were 13 x 18-inch sheets that were marketed under the name of Sani-Towels.
Coin Currency
From penny-candy to feeding the parking meter, coins have come in handy in our society. Dating back to 700 BC, it was a culture dwelling in what is now called Turkey (the Lydians) who first started using coins. After the concept of using coins grew, other ancient civilizations caught on to the act, including Greece and Rome. Interestingly, it took centuries before the practice became an international sensation. Early Americans were still stuck on bartering their way to gain the products and services that they needed. On April 2nd, 1702, the US Constitution Congress passed the Mint Act, which created a coinage system to use in the United States. The dollar became the first official currency of the US and the first coin production took place at the Philadelphia Mint just one year later.
Chewing Gum
When you pop in that stick of Wrigley’s spearmint or chew on Hubba Bubba, did you know that the tradition of chewing gum dates back centuries? Ancient Greeks used the resin of the mastic tree as their form of chewing gum. This treat was called ‘mastiche.’ The sap from the sapodilla tree provided the ingredients for the ancient Mayan approach to chewing gum, which they called ‘chicle.’ Sap from spruce trees supplied North American Indians with their chewing gum , a practice that was passed on to the Pilgrims. Other early American settlers learned how to combine beeswax and spruce sap to make chewing gum. The first time gum hit the commercial markets was in 1848 when John B. Curtis found a way to effectively market the product. He called it State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum.