Background

The first examples of public toilets were in around 2000 B.C roughly 4000 years ago, in the Indus Valley Civilization in present day India and Pakistan. Most of these toilets were wooden perched above tunnels of water coming from rooftop reservoirs or were washed down with water jugs. These sewage and toilet systems were the most advanced until around the 19th century or 1800 A.D.(Alex 1) Most public restrooms from the 1800s were only men’s toilets as well as they were paid. This meant that Victorian era women had to “hold it” or only stay at home, to be able to go to the bathroom. This situation was called the “Urinary Leash”. Some women also carried a “urinette”, a device that allowed them to discreetly go to the bathroom and empty out elsewhere.