Toilet Paper
What Did People Use Before Toilet Paper?

A question that is rarely asked, but probably pondered many times is just what did human use before toilet paper was invented? After all, today's perforated and easily tear able toilet paper was only patented in the early 1880s by an English man named Walter J. Alcock.
At first, toilet paper was seen to be an affront to Victorian sensibility. Alcock promoted his product with an almost religious zeal and by 1888, toilet paper roll holders were sold in almost every hardware store. So, what did people use before this invention?
Romans were ahead of the rest of the population of the world. They would use sponges, wool, and rosewater. They were definitely the cleanest of the clean.
The rest of the world used whatever was nearby that was not needed. Among things used were sticks, stones, dry bones, and leaves. None of which sound very comfortable and they probably weren't.
By the middle ages, royalty had moved up considerably. They used goose feathers or silk that was attached to a pliable neck. This could then be washed and reused. Still, since things were not all that clean during the days, this may not have been all that desirable. It still sounds better than rocks, though.
Rural Americans tended to use corn cobs. They do not sound all the comfortable, however, it is reported that they are not really uncomfortable at all. It is only old corn cobs that are uncomfortable. James Whitcomb Riley even wrote a poem about this occurrence, "The torture of that icy seat could make a Spartan sob / For needs must scrape the gooseflesh with a lacerating cob."
However, due to Alcock, by the late 1930s, most mail order catalogues offered toilet paper by the case. Although, at times, people still used things such as the pages of catalogues for toilet paper.
Now, there are many different types of toilet paper all around the world. Here are just a few facts about some different toilet papers.
Czechoslovakian toilet paper is the

A question that is rarely asked, but probably pondered many times is just what did human use before toilet paper was invented? After all, today's perforated and easily tear able toilet paper was only patented in the early 1880s by an English man named Walter J. Alcock.
At first, toilet paper was seen to be an affront to Victorian sensibility. Alcock promoted his product with an almost religious zeal and by 1888, toilet paper roll holders were sold in almost every hardware store. So, what did people use before this invention?
Romans were ahead of the rest of the population of the world. They would use sponges, wool, and rosewater. They were definitely the cleanest of the clean.
The rest of the world used whatever was nearby that was not needed. Among things used were sticks, stones, dry bones, and leaves. None of which sound very comfortable and they probably weren't.
By the middle ages, royalty had moved up considerably. They used goose feathers or silk that was attached to a pliable neck. This could then be washed and reused. Still, since things were not all that clean during the days, this may not have been all that desirable. It still sounds better than rocks, though.
Rural Americans tended to use corn cobs. They do not sound all the comfortable, however, it is reported that they are not really uncomfortable at all. It is only old corn cobs that are uncomfortable. James Whitcomb Riley even wrote a poem about this occurrence, "The torture of that icy seat could make a Spartan sob / For needs must scrape the gooseflesh with a lacerating cob."
However, due to Alcock, by the late 1930s, most mail order catalogues offered toilet paper by the case. Although, at times, people still used things such as the pages of catalogues for toilet paper.
Now, there are many different types of toilet paper all around the world. Here are just a few facts about some different toilet papers.
Czechoslovakian toilet paper is the