The Advent of the Modern Bathtub

Not surprisingly, the British town of Bath played a vital role in the introduction of bathtubs into the modern world. The springs here were originally discovered by Prince Bladud, father of Kind Lear, who founded the city of Bath and dedicated the springs to Minerva. When the Romans arrived, they rebuilt the splendor of the great baths back home on smaller scale, only about 23 acres. They utilized, of course, all their brilliant and innovate technologies of plumbing.

Around the 6th century, the Romans were forced to abandon Bath and the Isle of Britain altogether, and Bath was taken over by the Barbarians. These new rulers clearly had no idea how to upkeep or even use the Roman style baths and they quickly fell into decline. The middle ages were no better since the early Christians rejected anything Roman, for various reasons, and considered bathing an unholy act. Bath houses, and bathing in general, were considered an act of debauchery and decadence. Yay for the wisdom of early Christians!

The baths were restored in the 16th century and were relatively popular by the 18th century. Cleanliness, however, was still not a very important issue at the time, and people more often coated themselves with perfumes, powders and oils. A trip to the bath was a rare, perhaps annual journey. One person changed this however, a well known gambler and dandy by the name of Richard Nash.

Nash was a trend setter and before long, the site of Bath became a hot spot for loyalty and the rich and famous. Soon the healing properties of the baths became popular legend and people came in droves. Admiral Lord Nelson claimed that his health had been completely restored after one visit to the baths. It is around this time that a connection between cleanliness and good health was discovered.

Slowly, bathtubs became a fixture in most homes and the first bathtub in America is thought to have been imported by Benjamin Franklin. The first bathtub in the White House was installed by Millard Fillmore in 1850.

Interesting Bathtub Facts and Trivia

• About 365 people drown in their bathtubs each year. By comparison, about 350 people get struck by lightning annually.
• An old law in Kentucky required citizens to take a bath at least once a year
• The longest Monopoly game played in a bathtub lasted 99 hours.
• Edmond Rostand was a French writer who hated to be interrupted while he was working, but he did not like to turn his friends away because he was writing. So he spent much of his time writing while in the bathtub- and turned away his friends because he was taking a bath. In 1898 he published Cyrano de Bergerac.
• A friend gave Dorothy Parker a small alligator. She put it into the bathtub until she could figure out what to do with it, then left for an appointment. When she returned, she found this note from the maid: "I have resigned. I refuse to work in a house where there is an alligator in the bathtub. I would have told you this before, but I did not think the matter would ever come up."
• During the bombing of London in World War II, a young lady was taking a bath when her home was hit by a bomb. The bathtub was thrown in the air and came down upside down with the girl underneath it. The tub sheltered her from the collapsing rubble. Rescuers digging through the ruins looking for survivors were very surprised to find a naked girl unharmed under the bathtub.