I’ve often thought about the little p-trap and what a simple marvel it is, but never took the time to look up how it came about.
The part about the House of Parliament makes so much sense. I’m not sure I could go back and live hundreds of years ago – the smells would be too much to bear.
I know people still living who did not have an indoor toilet until the late 1940s!
Another time I’ve thought about sewage is when walking the streets of ancient Herculaneum and Pompeii. Yes they had rudimentary sewers, but the smells still must have been atrocious.
So many simple things we take for granted now have had profound impacts on our life. When is the last time you’ve heard someone give appreciation to electricity?