?Death of courtier and author Sir John Harington

John Harington was born in Kelston, Somerset ~ England.
He passed away on 20th November 1612, aged 52
John was also an honoured godson of Elizabeth I, one of 102!

Queen Elizabeth had a truly inventive godson, he built a flush toilet for her own personal use!

? It is a widely-held belief that Thomas Crapper (yes~that really was his name lol) designed the first flush toilet in the 1860s.

It was actually 300 years earlier, during the 16th century, that Europe discovered modern sanitation.

? John Harington designed the very first modern flush-able toilet in 1596.
Back then, they were called the Ajax (i.e., a “jakes”) then a slang word for toilet.

Harington’s device called for a long 2-foot-deep oval bowl that was specially waterproofed with pitch, resin and wax.
It was fed by water from an upstairs cistern.

? Sadly, his invention was ignored for almost 200 years.
It was was not until 1775 that Alexander Cummings, a watchmaker of all things, developed the S-shaped pipe under the toilet basin ~ to keep out the foul odours!

? Elizabeth I’s toilet with its flushing mechanism, was a modern marvel in the 16th century.

As a side note….We need more toilets with armrests and candle holders!!! ?