Thematic Bathroom Items Trivia

1. HISTORY: many centuries before the toothbrush was invented, what did people in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt use to clean their teeth?

From Quiz Don't Forget Your Toothbrush!

Answer: Chew sticks

Chew sticks have been found in an Egyptian tomb from 3000 BCE, and were also used in Mesopotamia in 3500 BCE. They are also mentioned in ancient Indian and Chinese texts, such as the Ayurvedas. They are still used in modern-day India and in Muslim regions, such as the Horn of Africa and the Sahel region, where they are called miswaks and made from twigs from the Salvadora persica tree, nicknamed the 'toothbrush tree'. One end of a twig is chewed until it becomes frayed, and the frayed end is then used to clean teeth, with the other end acting as a toothpick. They do not require toothpaste. Salt can actually be used to clean teeth, as it balances out the acidic content of the mouth and has anti-bacterial properties. However, the main disadvantage of using salt as a toothpaste substitute is that it is abrasive and can damage your tooth enamel.

From Quiz Clean and Mature

Answer: Cashmere Bouquet

Cashmere Bouquet was first made in 1872 and was one of the first soaps to have a floral scent. It is made by Colgate-Palmolive Company started by William Colgate on Dutch Street in New York City in 1806. The original products were starch, soap and candles.

From Quiz Faeces Happens

Answer: 75%

Water is the main ingredient of human faeces. The very serious - yet debated - Bristol Stool Chart divides faeces into seven categories and only two are considered healthy. While other factors come into play, the content of water (too much or not enough) is one of the main evidences of colon dysfunction.

From Quiz Welcome to the Sewers!

Answer: Urethra

The kidneys are organs which serve as filters of blood and which then divert these wastes down to the ureters. The ureters are the tubes through which the waste urine is passed to the bladder. The bladder then stores this urine until it is time to be emptied. When that occurs, the urine passes through the tube known as the urethra, and out of the body. All together now: "The kidney's connected to the ureter, the ureter's connected to the bladder, the bladder's connected to the urethra..."

From Quiz Flatulence Is Not a Noble Gas

Answer: Thomas Wolfe

Throughout history the word "fart" has been removed from various writings including Thomas Wolfe's novel. In contrast, it has also appeared in print as early as Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales", written at the end of the 14th century. In fact, in 1607 the English Parliament was responsible for the publication of a work called "The Parliament Fart", which was a symbolic protest against The House of Lords and King James I.

From Quiz A Really Poopy Quiz

Answer: Dung beetle

The dung beetle is a type of scarab beetle that makes great use of what other animals leave behind. There are quite a few different varieties. While some use fecal matter for food, some only live in it. It is a great example of Mother Nature recycling. Source: Wikipedia

From Quiz Pull My Finger

Answer: termites

Because of the sheer number of termites in the world and the fact that they need a lot of bacteria to digest wood, they are considered by many scientists to be a major contributor to global warming. There are actually methane sensors created to detect if your structure has termites.

From Quiz Pure. Fresh. Clean. A History of Toothpaste

Answer: China and India

Huang-Ti, a learned man from China, is widely credited with paving the way to the invention of a toothpaste. Huang-Ti studied teeth and believed pain could be relieved by sticking gold and silver needles in the jaw and gums. This led to the creation of a dental powder.

From Quiz Bath Time

Answer: Bobby Darin

Bobby Darin was born on 14 May 1936; "Splish Splash" launched his career as one of the most popular rock and roll American teen idols of the late 1950s. He appeared in thirteen motion pictures, composing the score and theme for four of them, and was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in the 1963 film "Captain Newman M.D." Bobby Darin died, aged 37, on 20 December 1973, following his second open heart surgery. He left instructions for his body to be donated to UCLA's Medical Center for research purposes. In 2004 the film "Beyond the Sea" was released. Directed by and starring Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin, it is a biopic of his life.

From Quiz A Scatological Quiz

Answer: Deer

I first came across this word in TH White's book "The Once and Future King" which is the story of King Arthur. King Pellinore is hunting in the forests and he tracks deer by looking for fewmets (or fumets).

From Quiz Splish, Splash! I Was Takin' a Bath...

Answer: Archimedes

Archimedes had hit upon the principle of floating bodies (now known as the "Archimedes principle", curiously enough), namely that a body submerged in water loses weight equal to that of the displaced fluid. Ironically, Archimedes most celebrated invention also involved water; it was a pump known as "Archimedes' screw".

From Quiz Don't Forget Your Toothbrush!

Answer: Israel

'Miv-reshet shinayim' is the Hebrew word for 'toothbrush'. In Italy, it's 'spazzolino' or 'spazzolino da denti'. In Russian, it's 'zubnaya shchetka', and in Japanese, it's 'haburashi'. Other words for toothbrush include 'brosse à dents' (French), 'Zahnbürste' (German), 'brwsh danedd' (Welsh), 'cepillo de dientes' (Spanish), 'fogkefe' (Hungarian), 'chetka za zubi' (Bulgarian), and 'bàn chai dánh rang' (Vietnamese).

From Quiz Clean and Mature

Answer: Pears

This translucent soap dates back to 1789 in England. It is claimed to be the world's oldest soap brand. Pears won a medal at the Great Exhibition in 1861. Their ads feature charming Victorian images.

From Quiz Faeces Happens

Answer: elephant

Elephant dung can be used to make paper, and once dried, can be used as a source of fuel in fires. Whale excrement tends to float on top of water as it has a high content of fat, and is often orange, due to the colour of the krill they eat. . Bear dung varies in size and colour depending on the season. Hibernating animals do not poop while asleep, and this can go on for several months. Vultures poop down their legs to cool themselves off.

From Quiz A Really Poopy Quiz

Answer: Perfume

This substance is called hyraceum. The older the feces, the harder it becomes. This can take hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. Its fragrance is highly sought after in the world of perfume. It is described as having a mixture of scents, such as civet, tobacco, musk and agar wood. It is also thought to be an anticonvulsant.

From Quiz Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Answer: Kasey Herbert

Before Mr. Herbert came along with his shampoo product in the early 20th century, hair was washed with regular soap. This rough soap often caused irritation, discomfort, and an unhealthy-looking head of hair.

From Quiz History of the Disposable Diaper

Answer: Boaters

Boaters were plastic panties made out of the same plastic as shower curtains. They had snaps instead of pins, and a regular cloth diaper was inserted into them. At first glance this may seem far removed from a disposable diaper, however it is important to remember that while plastic / rubber panties are considered part and parcel of cloth diapering today, they were not used until the middle of the twentieth century. Prior to that people used either uncovered cloth diapers or other covering materials such as wool. While Boaters did not last very long, they did launch the chain of innovation that yielded the more familiar modern disposable diaper.

From Quiz Bath Time

Answer: Charlotte Corday

Leader of the radical Montagnard faction and a fervent anti-royalist who led demands for the King's execution, Marat carried on a long struggle with the right-wing Girondins, resulting in their overthrow in May 1793. Charlotte Corday, a Girondin supporter, managed to get an audience with Marat by pretending she had information about uprisings. Marat, whose debilitating skin condition was eased by bathing, would often give interviews whilst in his bath. Corday plunged a knife into his chest. She was quickly arrested and executed for the murder. The scene was immortalised in a painting by Jacques-Louis David: "The Death of Marat".

From Quiz A Scatological Quiz

Answer: Coprolites

OK - I made the others up! Coprolite is the fossilised droppings of fish, reptiles, mammals and birds - the word is made up from 2 Greek words meaning dung and stone.

From Quiz The Enthroned Quiz

Answer: The Cathedra Petri

All four choices can be found in St. Peter's. The Cathedra Petri, or "Chair of Peter" is a stunning piece of art by Bernini. It is located at the end (apse) of the basilica and encloses the putative chair of the first Pope. The Papal Loggia is the main balcony of the basilica's façade; the Colonna Santa is a 4th century Byzantine spiral column from the original basilica on this sacred site; and the Baldacchino is Bernini's canopy over the main altar.

From Quiz Don't Forget Your Toothbrush!

Answer: William Addis

Brushes with bristles have existed for centuries, with early examples being found in China; these brushes dated back to the Tang Dynasty and used hog bristles. However, the mass production of toothbrushes began after William Addis made his own toothbrush in prison in 1780 by drilling holes in a leftover bone, putting tufts of bristles in the holes and sticking them in with glue. Addis started Addis, a toothbrush manufacturing business, when he was released from prison, with pig bristles being used for the cheaper toothbrushes, and his son inherited the business following his death in 1808. Addis later changed its name to Wisdom Toothbrushes. Hertford Museum has a collection of 5000 toothbrushes in its Addis Collection, as the Addis Factory employed many local people until it closed in 1996.

From Quiz Taking a Bath

Answer: The Celts

The ancient Babylonians and Egyptians knew what soap was, and so did the Romans. But the Romans regarded soap as a medicine or a kind of hair pomade. The first people to use soap on a widespread scale during bathing seem to be the Celtic tribes of ancient Gaul. The Roman philosopher, Pliny the Elder, writing in the 1st century AD, refers to the use of soap by the Gauls and thought it effeminate. The Romans did start using soap eventually, but it took a while for the practice to catch on. Soap is made by treating plant or animal fats with lye obtained from wood ashes.

From Quiz Clean and Mature

Answer: Dove

In a 1957 TV commercial, the makers of Dove claimed that their product was one fourth cleansing cream and thus was gentle and restorative for the skin. The commercial showed a clear container the shape of a Dove bar with liquid pouring in part way up and then the cleansing cream poured in to fill the empty space. In 2004 Dove's advertising attracted attention (literally) when they created billboards of "real women" using their product, not just anorexic models but "women with curves".

From Quiz Faeces Happens

Answer: crocodile dung

According to medical texts written in 1850 BC, crocodile poop was used to reduce a woman's fertility. My sources do not indicate how the remedy was administrated ... and maybe it is better that way?

From Quiz Welcome to the Sewers!

Answer: The smell of ammonia in urine deterred rats and killed fleas

Garderobe was a term that eventually came to mean a toilet or a commode chair only. Originally however, although one did go into this room for this purpose, a garderobe was used also as a storeroom. The room was built to include a toilet shaft, which was just a simple hole built out over a cesspit or a moat below - your first primitive sewer. All perishable goods liable to suffer the attack of rats or fleas, which were an ever present problems in medieval times, were placed in the same room, because the smell of the ammonia acted as a kind of very early pest control device. The word "garderobe" means "to guard one's robes". That's so clever and inventive, don't you think? They got rid of the fleas and the pees at the same time.

From Quiz Flatulence Is Not a Noble Gas

Answer: A Norwegian football club

Fotballaget Fart is a Norwegian football club that is based in Vang. The team colors are red and white. Their home games are played at Fartbana Stadion.

From Quiz Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Answer: Drene

Drene was produced by Procter and Gamble until 1943. Later, it was replaced when a new product with the title "New! New! Drene" was introduced.

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Last Updated Dec 21 2024 5:54 AM

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