The history of plumbing must begin with where the word plumbing came from. The word plumbing comes from the Latin word plumbum, which means lead. The word plumbing refers to pipes and fittings for the distribution of water and gas and the disposal of sewage.
The first sewers were built in Rome between 800 B.C. and 735 B.C. Built before the first aqueduct was built about 500 years earlier. The Cloaca Maxima is one of the largest ancient sewers and is still in use. It was designed and built to divert surface water and drain the entire city. The disposal of sewage has been an issue since ancient times. Diseases were transmitted through water and waste due to ignorance. Science would then play a big part in finding ways to dispose of sewage and waste that wouldn’t make people sick. The history of plumbing in America began when New World settlers copied Native American methods of disposing of waste and refuse into running water, open fields, shrubs, or woods.
They also threw the trash and trash out of their front doors and windows onto the street where the pigs and scavengers would dispose of the trash. It wasn’t very hygienic. Thankfully, the United States would set standards in health and safety. The first “plumbers” were the head craftsmen, blacksmiths, toolmakers, sheet metal workers and sheet metal workers. Today, a plumber is required to unclog blocked drains, repair leaks in pipes, and construct the pipes for buildings.
They are also capable of building various types of showers, replacing garbage disposals, etc. A primitive bathroom would be a chamber pot, which the early colonist placed along with other crockery items and pewter ware. The term dresser was used to disguise its usage. The term dresser is still used as another term for the bathroom or toilet. Latrines, outhouses, etc. would eventually evolve into what our bathrooms are today.
Plumbers need education, training and at least four or five years of apprenticeship experience before they can qualify as “plumbers”. A qualified plumber can be a contractor for a company or own their own business.
Thanks to Dave Gorski | #history #plumbing #facts
