Over or under? 1891 patent for first perforated toilet paper settles age old debate about which way to hang your roll
The debate over which way to hang your toilet paper--with the sheets hanging over the roll or dangling under--has raged since the dawn of the toilet paper roll itself.
As it happens, that dawn came in the late 1800s when the patent for the first perforated toilet paper on a roll was given to Seth Wheeler of Albany, New York.
And Wheeler's verdict? Over.
Dated 1891, a drawing for US Patent No. 465588A features a roll virtually indistinguishable from today's and it's positioned unmistakably in the over position.
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Verdict is in: Dated 1891, a drawing for US Patent No. 465588A (left) features a roll virtually indistinguishable from today's and it's positioned unmistakably in the over position. The inventor Seth Wheeler of Albany, New York also patented a holder or his invention, which was the first perforated toilet paper on a roll. At right, one of Wheeler's advertisements
As Owen Williams, who tweeted the drawing Monday, says: this 'should settle the over vs under debate.'
And if the drawing doesn't convince you, Wheeler's exuberant description of his invention just might.
'Be it known that I, SETH WHEELER,' he writes, 'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toilet-Paper Rolls
'I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.'
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Does he mean exact in that the paper should go over the roll? To some, yes.
However, the rival faction asserts that under is the way to go. They argue the 'under' orientation is better at preventing naughty cats and dogs from unrolling it all.
Some 'unders' also believe their preferred orientation makes for easier tearing.
So what's so great about over? Proponents say it allows users to more easily choose the number of squares to use, notes Good Housekeeping, and has a more appealing look that 'under.'
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