Urinals are not something we think about very often - women, probably never - but the truth is that urinals have a long and storied history, and women have played a role in its evolution.
"For instance, it is believed that a woman actually invented the first urinal during the civil war," says Klaus Reichardt, CEO and founder of Waterless Co, Inc. "However, in the 1800s, women could not register a patent, so Andrew Rankin followed her and was awarded the first urinal patent in 1886."
This is one of the first times the truth about the development of the first urinal has been told.
Reichardt lists some other surprising urinal facts, such as the following:
While the first patented waterless urinal was in 1886, the oldest waterless urinal was found a few years back in Sri Lanka. The urinal dates to the ninth century. We know this because of recently uncovered photos showing an ancient but rudimentary urinal discovered in Polonnaruwa, a tiny town in northern Sri Lanka, a country located in the Indian Ocean. The actual age is unknown, but archeological experts believe it was constructed sometime between the 9th and 12th centuries.
The U.S. industrial revolution made urinals famous. Factories hired hundreds of men, which meant large areas of the factory floor had to be designated for restrooms. By installing urinals, less restroom space was necessary.
The women's suffrage movement played a role in the growing popularity of urinals. Many men believed standing up symbolically elevated them above women seeking equal rights, so they preferred using urinals. Women were not too keen on the symbolism.
Urinals developed a French flavor. Pissoirs were introduced in Paris in the 1900s. They were an immediate success causing other European city planners to install similar outdoor public urinals.
Urinals made it into the art world in 1917. Marcel Duchamp created La Fontaine, the conceptualized porcelain urinal shown above. It became his most famous work. He signed it, "R Mutt." Why? It's believed he did not want others in the art world to know who developed the urinal, so he used the pseudonym, "R Mott."
Also in 1917, a noted photographer, Alfred Stieglitz, then married to artist Georgia O'Keefe, photographed La Fontaine. It became one of his most famous photographs.
Urinals invaded politics in 1933. It was an open secret. Outgoing President Herbert Hoover had an extreme dislike for incoming President Franklin Roosevelt. Because of this, he removed the toilet from the Oval Office bathroom when he vacated the White House. In its place, he installed a urinal for incoming President Franklin Roosevelt. This turned out to be nasty. While most people were unaware of it at the time, Roosevelt was bound to a wheelchair during his presidency and did not use a urinal.
In 1991, Waterless Company, Vista, Ca, introduced the first urinal in North America. About ten years ahead of its time, by the start of the 21st century, with more areas of the world impacted by droughts and water shortages, the need to use water more efficiently and only when and where needed resulted in greater interest and more installations of waterless urinals. At the same time, several water utility companies began significantly increasing the charges for water delivery and removal.
Between saving water and finding ways to save money, a star was born - the waterless urinal.
In 2004, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) surveyed five hundred experts in various fields of art regarding the most influential piece of art from the twentieth century. Amazingly, Marcel Duchamp's La Fontaine urinal was voted into the top position, above more celebrated works.
The look of urinals, both waterless and traditional, has mostly stayed the same since the 1970s. The reason is that their design is very functional and practical. This is also true of waterless urinals. While new styles and colors have been introduced over the decades, they tend to come and go. When restrooms are redesigned and remodeled, invariably, traditional-looking urinals are re-installed.
"Those of us in the no-water urinal industry believe the installation of waterless urinals is still in its infancy," says Reichardt. "We believe water will be the oil of the twenty-first century. If a country has water or can find ways to use it more efficiently, most of their other challenges can fall into place."
Waterless Co., Inc is a pioneer in water efficiency. We are the go-to company when it comes to reducing water consumption, understanding the many benefits of waterless urinals, and finding ways to use water more efficiently. For more information, contact a Waterless Co Specialist.
