World'sWonder VaultWhere the world shows off

Home / History / Myths

Thomas Crapper did not invent the flush toilet

1596

Flush toilets are older than Crapper

Confirmed Inventions · Verified 2026-10-31 · WWV-HS-MF-010

English courtier John Harington designed a flushing toilet around 1596. Thomas Crapper was a plumber who sold and improved fixtures and held patents, but he did not invent the flush toilet.

Sources

More in Myths

Edison did not invent the light bulbGeorge Washington's wooden teeth'Let them eat cake'Columbus did not prove the Earth was roundVikings did not wear horned helmetsThe Great Wall is not visible from the Moon

Open the interactive history