In 1775, an English inventor named Alexander Cumming (1731 or 1732 to 1814) was granted the first patent for a flush toilet. His greatest innovation was the S-shaped pipe or trap to retain water permanently within the water pipe, to create a seal preventing a sewer gas from entering through the toilet. His invention prevented foul smells from re-entering the House and generally offered a ‘cleaner’ solution. Additionally, he linked the water inlet valve to the flush mechanism to allow the pan to be emptied and refilled by pulling a single handle.

In addition to this invention, he was a Scottish watchmaker and instrument inventor as well as a mathematician and mechanic. While living in London, he made a barometrical clock for King George III and received an annual retainer fee for its maintenance.

In the late 19th century, a London plumbing impresario named Thomas Crapper manufactured one of the first widely successful lines of flush toilets. While a flush toilet had already been invented, he did develop the ballcock, an improved tank-filling mechanism still used in toilets toady.

Late in life he became a magistrate in 1779. In 1781 he was made an honorary freeman of the Clockmaker’s Company. One final legacy of his inventiveness resulted from his making instruments for Captain Phipps’s voyage in the polar region- the island of Cummingoya in Svalbard was named after him.

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