Chapter 1
Ancient channels of the gods
Chapter 2
The Great Stink and the trap of genius
Chapter 3
The physics of the flush
Chapter 4
The future of the flow
YOUR GOAL
Master of The secret life of pipes
Ch 2 · The Great Stink and the trap of genius
artiteacher The Great Stink
A pool of water in the S-bend blocks the smell (oh-oh yeah!) / Keeping toxic sewer gas locked inside its cell (locked inside!)
artiteacher In 1859, Joseph Bazalgette used 318 million bricks to build 82 miles of sewers and 1,100 miles of
Fun Fact
The royal flush: Queen Elizabeth I was so terrified of the loud noise her new flushing toilet made that she rarely used it.
Glossary
s-trap (noun)
A curved, S-shaped plumbing pipe that uses a water seal to block sewer gases from entering a building. Alexander Cumming patented this design in 1775, which inadvertently caused London’s infamous 1858 sewer crisis.
A curved, S-shaped plumbing pipe that uses a water seal to block sewer gases from entering a building. Alexander Cumming patented this design in 1775, which inadvertently caused London’s infamous 1858 sewer crisis.
Quiz
What did 19th-century Londoners mistakenly believe was the primary transmitter of cholera?
Quiz
Why did the S-bend trap represent such a massive breakthrough for indoor plumbing?
Quiz
Which engineer designed and built London's massive Victorian sewer system after the Great Stink?
Quiz
What famous structures did Joseph Bazalgette build along the Thames to house his new sewers and act as flood defenses?
Quiz
What major environmental crisis occurred in London during the hot summer of 1858?
Quiz
What common myth about the English plumber Thomas Crapper is historically inaccurate?