A Brief History of Toilet Paper

For each person living with myasthenia gravis, or MG, their journey with this rare condition is unique. That's why Untold Stories Life with myasthenia gravis, a new podcast from iHeartRadio in partnership with Argenics, is exploring the extraordinary challenges and personal triumphs of underserved communities living with MG.

Host Martine Hackett will share these powerful perspectives from real people with MG so their experiences can help inspire the MG community and educate others about this rare condition. Listen to find strength in community on the MG journey on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. From abroad with Acorn TV, sampling everything available on Macs, like Season 3 of The Righteous Gemstones, falling in love with pics from Hallmark movies now, and turning up with iHeartRadio's HitNation playlist. Discover new free content across the best streaming apps every week of the year, no strings attached.

Say free this week into your Xfinity voice remote. For the ones who know safety isn't a catchphrase, it's a culture. And the ones who help make sure everyone makes it home safe. For the safety-minded who watch everyone's backs, Grainger offers supplies and solutions for every industry, as well as safety assessments and training to keep your facilities safe and your people safer.

Call clickgrainger.com or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. And we return to our American stories and Tyler Spady's story. We're talking about the mass shooting that occurred in Thousand Oaks, California, at the Borderline Bar and Grill, where 13 people were killed.

In an instant, practically. And Tyler was there. There was a pause in gunfire, so someone in the Borderline Bar and Grill yelled, run. As Tyler recalled, quote, with those words, everyone started moving. And that included Tyler himself.

Here again is Tyler Spady. Everyone was running toward the kitchen. I didn't know whether he was behind me or not, so I looked over my shoulder. And when I turned around, someone had put down the waiter door and I hit my face into that and fell under it and started crawling. And everyone was shoving and pushing, trying to get through the small door, trampling over each other.

And people are basically swimming over over each other. And it was a really claustrophobic moment of terror. And you could hear the bullets whizzing over and hitting the walls as we were moving out. And I got up and started running, running through the kitchen in a haze.

I got to the back of the bar where there's a loading dock and jumped off that and fell over onto the ground and then recovered from that. And there was a group of about 40 of the people that were with me running to the hill nearby. And I started running up that, but I didn't feel safe in that moment. So I told everyone on the hill to run to the neighborhood nearby. And a girl came with me and I helped her over the fence.

And we went to every door in the neighborhood nearby and started knocking on the doors, trying to get into houses. Eventually we were able to get inside. And when you when I finally did get inside, it was no longer the fight or flight where I was just trying to live. I was able to feel safe. So I just laid against the wall and started crying and received calls and called my my family to tell them that I was OK. And it was it's interesting looking back. I can feel how I felt that night.

I don't dwell on it that that often or think about it because I don't think it's beneficial for me to do so. And I've kind of moved past it, but I can definitely feel those emotions and the family. I'll be forever grateful for them letting me into that home because they were really kind to me and embraced me and really helped me. Shortly after this, my friend John called me and said he was all right.

And they had jumped out the window and he had a similar situation of swimming over people. And so I got in the car with his mom, came and picked me up. And I'd known this guy since middle school and I was just glad that that he was OK. And we drove home and it was a quiet but really sad ride home where you're just trying to take in what you just witnessed. When I did finally get home, I can remember the best feeling that I've ever had in my life was hugging my mom and my sisters and falling to my knees upstairs and. Just letting every single emotion I had out and for about 10 minutes laying on the ground after this, we turned on the news and it further became real. We were all in shock, everyone in the room, my neighbors of 15 years came came over to the house and embraced me.

And they were also regulars at this place. When I got home, my mom said that I had blood splattered on my on my face, but I didn't have any cuts. So I went and cried while I washed myself off and went back to the room to see everyone. And I can't I can't express the feelings that I had. It was just other than disbelief and terror, but terror in a sense that you can't get a thought together.

There is nothing but the absence of feeling. One of my friends actually that night who had we had seen there was not allowed in because of some reasons. And so him and his girlfriend had gone home and that's just another thing, another moment of God.

I think interjecting into him into this and. Everything happens for a reason, so those people were. Spared the trauma as well and potentially more than that. In the days following, you slowly get information about friends and people, you know, who have been were killed in this event. And me and my sister, my sister was best friends with one of the people, one of their sisters that had had passed. And when we got that news, we just both wept in her room.

That was a terrible moment for for me and her. But this family that formed out of that and was there before will always have a special place in my heart and are considered family to me. I will never lose the connections that I've made that night from all these these individuals. Few a few days later, after the event, when we were doing different events with everyone and coming together to feel this as a group, Donald Trump flew into the town and visited with a few of the families who had lost certain individuals and showed nothing but love and admiration for everyone involved. That was a really incredible experience to meet a president and for him to do that for us. One of the things that I take away from this, I mean, there's a verse.

There's no greater love than to give your life for a friend. And many individuals that night had done that, that act. And forever I'll be grateful to those people. After this all happened, it was just months of recovering from the trauma. And I tried to put myself in it as much as possible to sit on it now and let it go in my past later. So I tried to be around people around me that were also involved in it and because I was actually going to Montana. So I set this date. It was January 8th that I was going to Montana.

And this happened on on November 7th. The day I was going to leave to go to Montana, I went to the to the bar to see see it one last time and say goodbye and leave it in the past. So I got on the plane and went to Montana and I lived in Montana where I was born and got to move past that moment and change my scenery.

Then I came back for the one year anniversary and felt it again with the individuals that were with me. With all the people there, I was able to heal more, but also see the see the good in every moment. The family that is borderline that had come together was was there to comfort everyone who was still hurting and to move past it as a maybe more than borderline.

A Thousand Oaks family, a Ventura County family, all these people that are connected in this close knit close knit community. And what a voice you've been listening to Tyler Spady tell the story of not merely a mass shooting episode that took the lives of 13 young people, but changed the town he lived in. But not just for the worse. In many ways, as he put it, for the better, evil can come knocking and it will. But how a town copes with that, how it comes together and rises above it, it takes the measure of the town. It can do the same thing you can do to a marriage. Someone loses a kid and that marriage isn't strong. It has two ways to go.

It gets stronger or it breaks apart. And how we deal with tragedy and trauma. We talk a lot about these things here on the show. The story of Tyler Spady. Indeed, the story of a town.

Thousand Oaks. A beautiful story in the end. A sad one, too. Tyler Spady's here on Our American Stories. And we continue with Our American Stories. Up next, a story from our regular listener and contributor, Roger Latham from Fort Worth, Texas.

Let's take a listen. On a sunny June day in 1944, the only sound on the flight deck was the wind as the B-24 Liberator, absent the power of its four engines, glided into its final moments of life before ditching in the choppy waters of the Adriatic Sea. My father, Lieutenant Ernie Latham, was pilot in command. Attention crew, get to the back of the plane. Certain his men had followed his last order, he now focused all his attention on flying the wounded bird.

The command was standard operating procedure. The tail section would give the crew the best chance to survive. Earlier, as the wounded plane limped its way across Yugoslavia, he gave them the opportunity to parachute. No one jumped. Now, at 300 feet above the water, it was too late.

The young lieutenant and his entire crew would digest their fates together. Flaps. Ernie spoke in normal tone and volume. There was no need to panic.

It would only make flying the airplane more difficult. Seconds later, the flaps remained unmoved. Hogan dropped the flaps. Ernie shouted the command as he glanced at his co-pilot. Lieutenant Hogan seemed transfixed on the instrument panel. His hands were in his lap and in a flat, monotone voice. He kept repeating, I can't believe this is happening.

I can't believe this is happening. The plane slammed head on into the wave. Instantly the Liberator went from 110 miles an hour to dead stop. The roaring sound of twisting metal screamed as the bomber began to break apart. Then it became dead quiet. Quiet as a grave. Now, with nose of the plane aiming to the bottom of the sea, he had a strange thought. They'll think I died in the crash. Never know I drowned.

Guess I ought to try to get out. This began the arduous task of extracting himself from the sinking plane. Upon breaking free of the tangled shards of metal, he bobbed to the surface. Here, about 200 feet away, he discovered the emergency lifeboat. He fumbled with his pocket knife, bounded and quickly used it to free the dinghy from its mooring. This activated the propellant and it inflated instantly. Climbing aboard, he began to search for additional signs of life. Of the seven remaining crew members, he found and saved five.

For the 15th Air Force, it was a record that would never be broken. Within 30 minutes, the sound of a high-powered boat could be heard rushing toward the stranded airmen. The speeding craft, filled with German soldiers armed to the teeth, brought a new terror. Throw your guns overboard. The command came as Lieutenant Latham tossed his Service 45 in the drink. The German boat, emblazoned with Nazi swastikas and flag, circled the dinghy.

When it came to a stop, a man's voice offered a broken English breath of hope. Hugo, no guns. They were Tito's partisans. The German uniforms were the ones they'd taken off good Nazis, the dead ones. Five days later, the Yugoslavians returned the Americans to the warm confines of the 464 Bombardment Group. Back in Pantanella, Lieutenant Latham offered debrief to his commander. He left out the fact that he had injured his back pretty severely in the crash.

He could be sent back to the States and lose any chance of flying his dream plane, the P-38. After he offered his detailed mission assessment and debriefing, the major said, You need some rest and recuperation. How would you like three days of R&R in Rome?

That works. What about the rest of my crew? The Yugoslav are banged up and will be in the hospital for a few days. They'll all get their R&R. It's strange how the fickle finger of fate points to the fortunate few. There is an old quote.

It's not what you know, it's who you know. On his first day in Rome, Ernie met the right one. He and Jim Jameson hit it off immediately. After three days of hard drinking and soft swimming, Ernie asked Jameson, What do you fly for the Army? Company commander of the 306 Fighter Wing, P-51s. Oh my God, you've got to get me a transfer. I'd love to fly for you guys.

I'll do that. Who's your commander? Major William Moore. Well, Bill, we were in primary training back in Oklahoma.

I'll send in a transfer request when I get back. Back at the 464th, Lieutenant Latham came to attention as he greeted Major Moore. Well, I have some good news. You're receiving the Silver Star for saving so many of your crew.

And best part? You get to go home. They want you for a war bond tour or something.

Ain't going, Ernie said. You have to if you take the Star. The Army can keep it's pretty metal. I want to fly fighters and I have a chance if Major Jameson does what he said he would do and gets me a transfer. He already did. I got a call from Jameson this morning and the courier dropped off the formal request about 10 minutes ago. If you sign the papers, I'm heading to fly P-51s. The Major smiled.

I've already signed it. But when you get to your new ride, you'll need to come back and tell us how much fun it is to go fast. The next day Ernie reported to the orderly at the 306th. I'm Lieutenant Latham. Need to report for duty. Where's Major Jameson?

Just a minute. Sir, the new pilot is here. Send him in. The 306th new hire came to attention upon entering the old man's office. Lieutenant Latham reporting for duty, Ernie said as he stood at attention before his friend.

Major Jameson smiled as he stood and greeted him. Did you start learning how to fly a Mustang? Well, that's what I want to talk to you about. Well, I need to ask for one more favor. For as long as I've been alive, I've wanted to fly a P-38.

And now I have that opportunity if you'll transfer me. Jameson wrote the letter to the office of the 15th Air Force Command and in three days Ernie joined the proud ranks of the 49th Fighter Squadron. Here he would complete the remaining 36 missions of his standard 50 mission requirement of the Army Air Corps. Dad's days in the 49th came with many exciting tales of valor. His new gaggle of wingmen, stories of missions over Germany and beyond, came with photographs to prove it.

I listened to every word he spoke and hung on each. In the early 50s, when Superman made his debut on black and white TVs around town, my classmates turned their mom's old bedsheets into capes. I wore Dad's service cap with the gold bar. My Superman was stronger than a hundred locomotives, flew faster than a 50 caliber bullet, and best of all, he sat at the head of our family dinner table every night. Dad didn't need a Silver Star and I never wore a cape. And a terrific job on the production by Greg Hengler and what storytelling by Roger Latham about his father, Lieutenant Ernie Latham, a real life superhero. And you can be one to your kid.

They're watching you. My dad had many exciting tales of valor, the son said. I listened to every word he spoke. I hung on them, he said. And that story about turning down the Silver Star and the easy war bond tour.

The army can keep their pretty metal, Lieutenant Latham said. The story of Lieutenant Ernie Latham and so many soldiers who served their country valiantly and the son who remembered them and honored them here on Our American Story. This is Our American Stories, and we tell stories about everything here on this show. And our next story comes to us from a man who's simply known as the History Guy. His videos are watched by hundreds of thousands of people of all ages on YouTube. The History Guy is also heard on YouTube. He's a great actor, a great actor, a great actor, and a great actor.

His videos are watched by hundreds of thousands of people of all ages on YouTube. The History Guy is also heard here at Our American Stories. Here's the History Guy with the story of toilet paper. For much of history in many societies, wiping was done with things that were commonly available and disposable.

Grass, leaves, moss, straw, even snow. And while in some ways it seems a puerile discussion, actually it tells us something about culture. Ancient Greeks used bits of pottery to scrape themselves clean, and there's evidence that they sometimes used ostracized. Ostracized were pieces of pottery that had a name inscribed on them, and it was part of a voting process on whether a person was so bad that they should be kicked out of a community or ostracized. And so if a Greek was using an ostracized for toilet purposes, in essence they were wiping their bottom with their enemy's name.

And reusing ostraca in that purpose tells us something about the ancient Greek sense of humor, as well as the extent to which they carried a grudge. The Romans used a tool called a xylospongium, which was essentially a bit of a sponge on a stick. Wealthy Romans might have their own personal xylospongium, but for the most part they were communally used, based on latrines, which might accommodate 10 to 20 patrons at a time. The sponge would be rinsed in a mixture of water, salt and vinegar.

Sponges would have been breeding grounds for bacteria, and some historians suggest they served to spread infectious disease. And the items used for this purpose certainly depended upon wealth and social class, with one startling example being the position of groom of the stool, which served the English monarchs from at least the 15th century all the way up to the 20th century. The purpose of the position was to have a servant who was responsible for helping the king while he was doing his business.

And the first known person to have the position then called yeoman of the stool was one William Grimsby in 1455. It's not really clear if the person was directly responsible for wiping the king's backside, but one of their responsibilities was to make sure that there was blanket, cotton or linen to wipe the nether end. While the position would seem to be one of the less savory, in fact it became a highly prized position. The groom of the stool, referring to the king's close stool, which was black velvet infringed with silk with two pewter basins and four broad yards of tawny cloth, was one of a few attendants who shared true private time and able to speak intimately with the king. Although not a member of the privy council, the groom was often more privy to the king's private thoughts than the king's closest advisors. In fact, the groom of the stool would often have so much access to the king's private thoughts that other courtiers were afraid of them for the secrets they held. Over time, the position expanded to include control of the affairs of the king's inner rooms, including making sure the king was well dressed. The position included perks like being given the king's old clothes and furnishings. People would petition the groom to advocate on their behalf so that he could use his private time with the king to help someone gain a prized position. The position gained such broad responsibilities and prestige that it was often held by persons of high nobility.

The position continued through the Hanoverian kings, but was in abeyance under Victoria and finally eliminated by her son, Edward VII, in 1901. Not surprisingly, the first culture to use paper for their bathroom needs was the Chinese, where paper was invented, perhaps as early as the 8th century BC. In general, most people would have used leftover scraps of paper, but paper specifically for use in the toilet was being mass produced in China as early as the 14th century, although that might have been largely reserved to the wealthy and much of it used by the Emperor's court. Paper didn't make it to Europe until the 11th century.

The process was done by hand, pressing fibers on a screen mold. But Johann Gutenberg's invention of the movable type printing press around 1440 caused a printing revolution in Europe and greatly increased demand for paper and paper making became an industry. While people were likely using paper scraps in the bathroom in Europe as soon as paper reached the continent, in practice paper was expensive and would hardly have been used for such purpose.

There were, however, exceptions. 16th century English churchman John Bail mourned that books dispersed from the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII were being purchased by nobles to rub their booties. Still, paper was rare enough in the 18th century that it was not the most common tool for the job. In colonial America, despite the availability of printed materials, corn cobs were most commonly used for bathroom duty. It wasn't until the end of the 18th century, the first patent was in France in 1799, that paper making machines using continuous rollers were invented. The new process was far cheaper and faster and printing and paper products proliferated. By the early part of the 19th century, people in Europe and America were most commonly using scrap paper in their bathrooms. Using a bit of newspaper or catalog makes sense. The paper was essentially free and offered reading material for that private time as well.

The hole that is traditionally drilled in the corner of the old farmer's almanac was reportedly to allow the book to be hung by a hook in the outhouse. Joseph Gagetti is generally credited with producing the first commercially marketed toilet paper in 1857. Gagetti's paper was called therapeutic paper and was sold in single sheets at the cost of a thousand sheets for a dollar. His paper was claimed to have medical benefits, especially as treatment for hemorrhoids. Ads at the time suggested that ink papers were toxic when used on sensitive parts. Oddly, Gagetti's papers were each watermarked.

J.C. Gagetti, New York. Gagetti's product was one of the few sold at the time and continued to be sold into the 20th century, but the product had limited success. It was a prudish age and Americans were embarrassed to buy a product meant for their behinds. And many could not afford to or see the value in paying for paper when so much of it, for example the Sears and Roebuck catalog, was free. Developments such as patenting processes to sell paper on a roll with perforated sheets still struggled commercially, because in Victorian times the use of the paper was, well, unmentionable.

But another new technology was about to change that. In 1829, the Tremont House Hotel in Boston became the first hotel in America to use indoor plumbing. As cities developed municipal water systems, solely technology for the water closet improved. Early in the 19th century, American manufacturers were behind those of Britain and most equipment for water closets was imported.

But by the end of the century, American manufacturers were producing better products and more and more upscale homes featured indoor water closets. New Yorkers Clarence and Edward Scott founded Scott Paper in 1879 in Philadelphia. They didn't make paper, nor did they sell directly to consumers. Instead they bought paper in bulk and marketed rolls of perforated toilet paper through third parties, such as hotels and drugstores. That avoided the sensitivity of the subject and the paper became seen as a special amenity of fancy hotels that featured indoor water closets. It was a healthy and hygienic product sold at drugstores. Their marketing system worked and they eventually packaged their paper for more than 2,000 brands.

But as more and more homes were being equipped with indoor bathrooms, newspapers and catalogs seemed less appropriate and would clog the pipes. At the same time, people wanted to buy brands that they'd seen at upscale hotels. In 1902, the Scott Company purchased the trademark to their most popular third-party seller, Waldorf Bathroom Tissue, and began marketing it to consumers directly under the Scott brand.

For the first time, the company started manufacturing its own paper. Again, the product was successful, although still marketed as a health product whose packaging did not mention the product's unmentionable function. The company quickly became the world's largest manufacturer of the product.

As indoor plumbing became more common in the United States and Europe, the product slowly became indispensable. But there were developments in both marketing and manufacturing. In 1928, the brand Charmin, a play on the word charming, began packaging the product using feminine-looking designs, appealing to homemakers and creating an image of softness and femininity.

The shift once again helped to remove stigma from marketing it. As late as 1935, the quilted Northern brand advertised that their paper was splinter-free, which may have been more of a marketing strategy than a different paper process, but emphasized that the product was about comfort as well as hygiene. Later, things like multi-pie tissue and scented brands broadened and differentiated the market further.

Still, it took a long time for the unmentionable to become mentionable. It wasn't until the 1970s that television networks in the U.S. allowed advertising under the name toilet paper, rather than the less descriptive name, bathroom tissue. Today, toilet paper is big business. More than 7 billion rolls are sold in the United States annually. Although for some 70% of the world, toilet paper is still not the primary way that they deal with their bathroom business. It's become such a part of culture in America that a character in a Charmin ad campaign called Mr. Whipple, a store manager who extorted customers to please don't squeeze the Charmin, ran for nearly 60 years.

A 1978 TV Guide survey found that Mr. Whipple was the third most recognized man in America behind former president Richard Nixon and evangelist Billy Graham, and if that's true, it means that in 1978, Mr. Whipple was more widely recognized in America than then-president Jimmy Carter. I can't explain why people are panicked buying toilet paper today. I'll leave current events up to other people. But it does seem ironic that we're rushing out to buy toilet paper when just a hundred years ago, Americans couldn't even figure out why they needed the product when there was so much free paper available. But one of the most common solutions is no longer available to us.

According to the Sears archive, due to changes in retailing trends, Sears stopped producing its general catalog in 1993. And you've been listening to the History Guy, and you can find all of his work on YouTube. Just put in the History Guy, and you'll find his YouTube channel. And a special thanks to him for allowing us to share his storytelling with us, and we love telling stories about history. But again, these innovations, well, they make life better for us, and free enterprise does it, and inventors do it. And who would have known that such a story, well, would be so interesting?

And again, go to the History Guy at his YouTube channel, and thanks to Greg Hengler for, as always, bringing some of the best History Guy storytelling. The story of toilet paper, here on Our American Stories. There are some things in life you just can't trust, like a free couch on the side of the road, or the sushi rolls from your local gas station, or when your kids say they don't need the bathroom before the road trip. But there are some things in life you can trust, like the HP Smart Tank Printer, with up to two years of ink included, and outstanding print quality. You can rely on the HP Smart Tank Printer, from HP, America's most trusted printer brand.

I'm Malcolm Gladwell. I don't know if you know this about me, but I'm a car nut, and I will do anything to keep my cars happy, to make sure they stay running smoothly. I look for those things at eBay Motors. With eBay Guaranteed Fit, when you see the green check, you know that part will fit. Get the right parts at the right prices.

eBayMotors.com. Let's ride. Eligible items only.

Exclusions apply. Four tickets for just $80 all in can only mean one thing. The sun is out, outdoor venues are open, and summer is live. Get four tickets for $80 all in, and choose from over 2,500 of this summer's hottest shows, like 50 Cent, Avenged Sevenfold, Counting Crows, Pentatonix, Pepe Aguilar, and more. The best summer ever starts with tickets to all your favorite artists. Don't miss out. Four tickets for just $80 all in, on sale July 19th through August 1st. Head to LiveNation.com slash summer's live.