The story of toilets, telephones & other useful inventions

The story of toilets, telephones and other useful inventions.

马桶、电话和其他实用发明的故事

Chapter 1 The Story of Toilets Long ago, people didn't even have houses, so building a toilet was the last thing on their minds.

第一章 马桶的故事 很久以前，人类连房子都没有，所以修马桶根本不在他们的考虑范围内。

They roamed the forests, hunting animals, gathering berries and squatting behind a tree.

他们在森林里游荡，捕猎动物、采摘浆果，方便的时候就蹲在树后面。

Then they learned to farm the land and made themselves homes to live in. Some built a toilet in the yard, but it was only a hole in the ground. When the hole filled up, they simply covered it with mud and dug another. This worked fine, until they ran out of space.

后来他们学会了种地，给自己建了房子住。 有些人会在院子里修马桶，不过就是在地上挖个坑而已。 等坑被填满了，他们就用泥土把它盖上，再挖个新的。 这个办法一直很好用，直到他们再也没地方挖新坑了。

The ancient Romans had a much better idea. Public toilets. They placed a long stone slab with holes over a deep trench. Then they decorated the toilet room with marble and mosaics.

古罗马人想到了一个更棒的主意：公共厕所。他们在很深的沟渠上方架了一块带洞的长石板。 之后他们还用大理石和马赛克装饰厕所间。

Going to the toilet became a great way to meet people. Romans sat in a row chatting about politics and plays. Below them, water flowed through the trench and washed everything away.

上厕所变成了认识朋友的好办法。 罗马人坐成一排，聊着政治和戏剧。 他们脚下，沟渠里的水流过，把所有脏东西都冲干净。