Twenty things you didn’t know about bathtubs

As a plumbing firm, we’ve installed a lot of bathtubs. Some of our large commercial projects have hundreds of units, and each one may have a bathtub. So we have some strong feelings about bathtubs and how important they are in our lives.

October 7th is Bathtub Day. A weird holiday but one that, as plumbers, we can’t let pass by without celebrating. Please indulge us while we have a little fun with twenty facts about bathtubs.

1. At the equator, water goes straight down the drain instead of rotating in any direction.
2. Marilyn Monroe once filled a bathtub with champagne to bathe in. It took 350 bottles.
3. Archimedes discovered the physics of displacement while soaking in a tub.
4. The average bathtub holds 200 liters of water.
5. In 1917, H.L. Mencken wrote “A Neglected Anniversary,” a fictional tale about the history of the bathtub. It was published in the New York Mail to prove that people would believe anything they read.
6. Navy ships typically do not have bathtubs to save space, but one was installed on the USS Iowa in 1943 for President Franklin Roosevelt when he hitched a ride to the Cairo Conference.
7. US President William Taft became stuck in the White House bathtub once and then installed a larger one.
8. Skin experts and dermatologists have found that endorphins that make you feel good are released when bathing.
9. An hour-long soak at 100 degrees can burn 130 calories!
10. It’s not the warm temperatures that make you feel sleepy after a bath, but the drop in temperature you experience after getting out of the water.
11. The first evidence of a bath is a 3000-year-old Crete tub made of hard pottery that resembled a clawfoot tub.
12. Modern built-in bathtub installations took off in the US after World War 1.
13. In 1921, only 1% of the US population had indoor plumbing, including a bathtub.
14. Kentucky once had a law requiring its citizens to take a bath at least once a year.
15. In the early 20th century, legislation mandated that all New York City apartments have a bath and a tub. Many old apartments that were repurposed for the legislation have bathtubs in the kitchen!
16. Oprah Winfrey loves baths and has a hand-carved marble bathtub molded to her body’s shape.
17. American Pet Owners spend $5 billion a year on pet bathing products and services.
18. Dogs become hyper after a bath because they’re confused by their new smell, and it causes them anxiety.
19. The Spa Whirlpool tub was invented in 1968.
20. And we saved the best for last. In 2008 a Kia commercial referenced H.L. Mencken’s fictional bathtub history article without realizing it was fake!

It’s fun to learn a little more about the history of the bathtub. But, in all seriousness, we feel privileged to have the opportunity to have installed thousands of bathtubs over the years. A functional bathtub is a crucial fixture in the home, and we recognize how important it can be.