Why is the toilet sometimes called a ” John “?
Why is the toilet sometimes called a " John "? (There are a few references of the toilet being called “Cousin John”, as well as many references to it being called “Jake” and other such generic names, before Harrington was born; but it is generally agreed that why we now call it “John” is because of Harrington and not from the old “Cousin John”). How did the first flushing toilet get its name? Along with writing several notable works, Harrington also devised Britain’s first flushing toilet, which he called the “Ajax”. This derived from the term “Jakes”, which was a slang term...