Some swore that they would never bring such a thing into their homes. The innovation was thought to bring disease and foul air into houses. Radical concepts often face such criticism from people unused to new things or who are resistant to change. Yet, since about the past 100 years or so, the majority of homes in the western world went from not having this innovation to the adaptation being assumed and universal in that part of the world.
And it wasn’t merely an innovation; it was also a matter of changing architecture and even city planning. Such was and is the impact of this change that it remains something that modern cities grapple with and debate over to this day. Yet, archeologists have found that some ancient civilizations had it in their homes eons ago.
While many other ancient civilizations had variations of this innovation, it was the ancient Romans who produced something we’d recognize today. Yes, the Romans used this in both wealthier private homes and even some in the public sphere. Their version of this innovation pretty much resembles the modern incarnations, surprisingly. However, like some of the other Roman Empire discoveries and technology, the Middle Ages either lost or forgot some of what the Romans accomplished.
It was up to the Victorian Era to re-connect with what the Romans (among other civilizations) had concocted. The Of course, the Victorians thought that they could solve almost any problem, and they pretty much did–certainly in this case. But old traditions die hard, and many people in Britain and elsewhere in the western world resisted creating space in their homes for this re-discovered innovation.
Ministers, worried bringing something they considered “unnatural” into the home, warned congregants against bowing to the new fad. Some argued that such conveniences were of the Devil, that only the idle rich would have such things in their homes. But, as the 1800s began drawing to a close, more and more houses and towns regardless of income began adapting the technology. And, as we said, from the 1920s on, it was expected in houses in most cities in the Western Hemisphere.
We of course take it for granted–don’t give it a second thought–that our house or apartment will have a bathroom.
The Rest of the Story 