Plumbing History Timeline

The evolution of modern plumbing is credited with wiping out many diseases, extending lifespans and providing convenience for billions over thousands of years. Read more below about some important events in the history of plumbing.

• From 3,000 B.C, the ancient Minoan civilization on Crete developed an advanced plumbing system, which featured underground clay pipes and the first flushing toilets.

• In 312 B.C., Appius Claudius created the aqueduct, a network of man-made streams conducting water downhill to Ancient Rome.

• In 1596, Queen Elizabeth I installed the first flushing toilet in England, which her godson Sir John Harington invented.

• In 1775, Alexander Cumming invented the S trap, receiving the first patent for a flushing toilet.

• In 1728, New York health officials installed the first underground sewer to respond to complaints about the stench caused by above-ground sewage.

• In 1829, Boston’s Tremont Hotel became the first hotel to have indoor plumbing, including eight water closets.

• In 1848, England passed The National Public Health Act, which became the world’s model plumbing code for clean, safe water.

• In 1890, Massachusetts built the first drinking water treatment system.

• In 1857, Joseph C. Gayetty of New York produced the first packaged toilet paper called Gayetty’s Medicated Paper.

Call ARS®/Rescue Rooter® at 1-800-277-9400 to learn more about expert plumbing service in your area, including regular drain cleaning and repair.