May 29
Curious Questions
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I love trivia and the interesting history behind things, so imagine my delight when I found this book, What Did We Use Before Toilet Paper? by Andrew Thompson, Â in the bargain bin. Here are a few curious questions and their intriguing answers.
When was toilet paper invented and what was used before then?
The Chinese invented toilet paper in the 14th century, and the Bureau of Imperial Supplies began to produce paper for use by the Chinese emperors. However, it wasn’t until 1857 that the first factory-produced toilet paper was made, by American Joseph Cayetty, who named his product “Therapeutic Paper” and sold it in packs of 500 sheets. Cayetty’s name was printed on each sheet.
Before the invention of toilet paper, different areas of the world used many different things. In the U.S., newspapers and telephone directories were commonly used, as were other books. The Old Farmer’s Almanac was actually printed with a hold punched through the corner of each page so that it could be hung in outhouses, and the Sears catalog was widely used until it was produced with glossy pages, after which its use as a hygiene product became unpopular. Corncobs were also used. Ouch!
Why do some coins have ridges around the edge?
Many years ago, coins were made out of precious metals such as gold and silver. This tempted some people to file flakes of the valuable metals from the edges of the coins and then accumulate the shavings. To combat this problem, ridges were carved into the edges of the most valuable coins. If the ridges remained unaltered, this showed that none of the precious metal had been shaved off and the coin was still good legal tender. Also, the ridges–collectively known as reeding or milling–made counterfeiting more difficult. Only the valuable coins were reeded; lower-denomination coins such as the penny were made of common metal, which made reeding unnecessary.
Why does the date for Easter change?
Since the exact date of Christ’s resurrection was not recorded, no generally accepted date for Easter was fixed. In AD 325, the Council of Nicea was convened to decide an array of topics, one of which was the date for Easter. It was decided that, throughout the Church, Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after March 21. Â Applying this formula, Easter Sunday must fall between March 22 and April 25.
Interesting facts.
SHE loves reading about the origins of things, or sayings.
XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
Funny, I read somewhere recently someone asking why do ‘they’ advertise toilet paper, surely it’s a necessity? I love trivia too, I’ve wondered about Easter, now I know 🙂
interesting looking read. does it have info on deoderant? i stopped using that recently and started using lemon juice because its cheaper and natural
i wonder if that was used back in the day
urban hounds
Hmmm…good question. I’m only half way through. That would be a good post…alternatives to everyday products.
Sounds like great bathroom reading 🙂
Sounds like a very interesting book! Thank goodness we don’t have to use corn cobs today. LOL
I love the title of that book, it made me laugh so much!
I remember my gran telling me that before toilet paper they used to cut up squares of newspaper and use that..
🙂
Lynne x
Ouch! Corncobs! I will be sitting funny all day thinking of it! 🙂
I would love that book. Thanks for the great trivia tips this morning.
Very interesting. Mom might like that book. We know she is very glad someone created toilet paper:).
Woos – Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning
OMCs you continue to amaze and delight us with your creativity and super duper finds. Too funny about TP!!
Hugs madi your bFFF
I love you too!!!!! Yes you are so very special… I love trivia too!! I think most of us do!!
I am so happy with Circle she is one of the best cats ever~~~~
Now that is cool! It’s the sort of trivia that I really love! Thanks for sharing those things. 🙂
Hehe love the title of the book!
ha ha ha what a funny title!
i love books like these – full of curiosities.
i shall look this book up on amazon! 🙂
Corn cobs? What about the ridged edges on coins? Would they work too>
Thanks!