POOP

Pittsburgh potties have a curious origin.

Flush with Pride: A History of the ‘Pittsburgh Potty’

Early 20th century homes in Pittsburgh and other northeastern cities have a feature that's long been the butt of jokes: a lone toilet in the basement.

Being a night soil man was a thankless job.

How the Victorian Era's 'Night Soil Men' Kept London From Going to Waste

The fetchers of feces known as night soil men tackled a dangerous, thankless job—all in an attempt to keep Victorians unburdened by their ever-growing piles of poop.

Circus Act: When 'The Price Is Right' Offered Elephants as Prizes

The 1950s version of the iconic game show got real weird with some of their prizes.

Scientists Want to Study Your Pet's Poop As Part of the Most Comprehensive Animal Health Study of Its Kind

A poop sample from your cat or dog could be a valuable piece of data for scientists studying pet health.

Toilets have been privy to some important events over the years.

11 Historically Significant Toilets

From Elvis's near-final resting place to the porta-johns that saved a pilot's life, these are the toilets that altered world events.

A German submarine not unlike the one destroyed by a poop.

The Turd Reich: The Toilet Malfunction That Sank a German U-Boat

Your history teacher probably didn't tell you about the time the unfortunately named Captain Schlitt's bowel movement sank an entire German submarine.

Books about butts and poop are valuable learning tools.

Want to Teach Your Kids to Love Reading? Buy Them Books About Poop, Farts, and Butts

Learning experts believe they’re a crucial component of early childhood development.

Two black vultures whose poop comes with perks.

10 Animals Whose Poop Comes With Perks

Sometimes animal poop does double (ahem) duty.

DCWater transforms poop into fertilizer with the help of microbes.

5 Surprising Uses for Recycled Poop

People usually want plenty of distance between themselves and their poop, but some engineers argue that all that waste is going to waste.

Intestinal Worms Just Helped Researchers Identify an Ancient Roman Chamber Pot

Roughly 1500 years ago, someone in Sicily suffered from intestinal worms. Here’s why researchers are excited about that.

Why Do Dogs Spin Around Before They Poop?

Dogs have a tendency to preface their bowel movements with a bit of rotating before getting down to business. Is there evolution behind their revolution?

Matayang (pool), Bun_Visit (arm)/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Our 40 Favorite Stories of 2021

From Universal Orlando's wild (and usually inoperable) 'Jaws' ride of the '90s to the very real—and very captive—tiger shark that threw up a human arm and sparked a 1935 murder investigation, the Mental Floss team is sharing some of our favorite stories f

Without Ed Lowe, we might not be so friendly with cats.

Ed Lowe, the Inventor Behind Kitty Litter

With kitty litter, Ed Lowe changed how cats and humans bonded. But not everyone understood the idea: One woman tried feeding it to her cat.

Careful Where You Step—These 20 Cities Have the Most Dog Poop

If you go for a walk in any one the 20 worst U.S. cities for dog poop, just remember to look down every 5 to 10 seconds.

Your Baby's Poop May Be Full of Microplastics

Your baby's diaper may be harboring a different kind of nasty surprise: lots of microplastics from clothing, toys, and formula bottles.

Paying to relieve yourself was surprisingly common in the 20th century.

Pay-Per-Poop: A History of Pay Toilets

Since the Roman Empire, government has sought to tax your poops. It took four high school students to stand up to this turd tyranny.

Does Your Cat’s Butthole Touch Everything It Sits On? One Middle-Schooler Devised an Experiment to Find Out

The science experiment was made possible by red lipstick, white paper, and a high tolerance for looking at cat buttholes.

Poop, Boob, and Other Terms Apple Won’t Engrave on Your New AirTags

Apple AirTags will help you keep track of your stuff, but they won’t help you convey how funny you find the word ‘boob.’

A monster from the deep and a massive brown beast: potentially the kind of dumps Godzilla and King Kong would produce.

Godzilla vs. King Kong: Whose Poops Would Be Bigger?

If 'Godzilla vs. Kong' were a pooping contest, who would produce the most waste: a radioactive amphibious lizard or a colossal ape?

Can Bird Poop Damage Cars?

Bird droppings on cars are not only unsightly, they're actually little chemical attacks that can seriously damage the paint finish.

Sea Cucumbers on One Coral Reef Drop Several Eiffel Towers’ Worth of Poop Each Year—and That’s a Good Thing

Slow clap for sea cucumbers, whose excretory achievements could help slow climate change damage to the Great Barrier Reef.

Need to Know the Sex of a Wild Turkey? Look at Its Poop

Learn the difference between male and female turkey poop if you need a gross Thanksgiving conversation topic.

NASA Has Redesigned the Space Toilet for Female Astronauts

NASA's new-and-improved space toilet has a redesigned seat that should be more accommodating to female astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Sometimes bad jokes can be for a good cause.

A Man Cycled More Than 2500 Miles From Poo Poo Point, Washington, to Pee Pee Creek, Ohio

How far would you go for a cheap joke? One guy cycled 69 miles a day for over a month. But he had reasons beyond a punchline.

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