1. World Toilet Day Quiz
Test your knowledge of all toilet-related things with this quick ten-question quiz

2. 1. Who invented the world’s first flush toilet?
Sir John Harington (1596)
Alexander Cummings (1775)
Thomas Crapper (1860s)
They all had a part to play: Sir John Harington invented the first flush toilet (Elizabeth I tried it out);
Alexander Cummings invented the S bend, Thomas Crapper invented the ball cock flush (and opened the first bathroom showroom in London).

3. 2. How many people worldwide don’t have access to a safe toilet?
1.2 billion
2.4 billion
5.1 billion
In 2015, 67.5% of people worldwide had access to improved sanitation, up from 53% in That leaves a third, 2.4 billion people, without.
(World Bank data).

4. 3. In 1951, how many households in England and Wales did not have their own WC?
1.2%
12%
21%
Before the big slum clearances of the 1950s and 1960s, 21% of households still shared a toilet.

5. 4. The International Space Station is the most expensive place in the universe to spend a penny. The ISS toilet cost:
$1.9 million
$9.1 million
$19 million
Built specially in Russia for use in zero gravity, the ISS toilet cost $19 million.
The most expensive on Earth is a solid-gold toilet in Hong Kong – its value goes up and down with the price of gold.

6. 5. What’s the average number of flushes a UK household makes each day?
5−7
13−14
19−20
The average is 13−14 flushes, taking nearly a third of the total of water used in the home.
Toilet flushing puts a huge strain on water resources.

7. 6. How many children under the age of five die daily worldwide from diseases caused by poor sanitation?
100
500
800
Worldwide, 800 children under the age of five die daily (around 289,000 a year) due to preventable water and sanitation-related diarrhoeal diseases.
Diarrhoea is the world’s second biggest killer of children.

8. 7. Which British King died ‘on the throne’?
King Edward I
King John
George II
George II fell off his toilet and died of heart failure in 1760 – though King Edward and King John both died of dysentery.

9. 8. The world’s most high-tech toilets are found in:
Japan
USA
Switzerland
Japan has some of the world’s most high-tech toilets, which can wash, dry, deodorise, play tunes and even clean the seat after you!

10. 9. How many viruses can 1 gram of faeces contain?
100,000
1 million
10 million
Gross, but true: 1 gram of faeces can contain 10 million viruses (plus 1 million bacteria and 100 parasite eggs).

11. 10. Global Goal (SDG) 6 aims for safe water and sanitation for all
10. Global Goal (SDG) 6 aims for safe water and sanitation for all. By which date?
2030
2035
2050
Find out more about these themes from the GLP World Toilet Day resource
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