Comment 2VZS Re: and so the chimney was invented

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Europeans were lactose intolerant for 4,000 years

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and so the chimney was invented (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-12-14 02:57 (#2VXA)

The overarching thought for centuries was that the chimney was invented to flue smoke from an abode. Not so, it seems, given the coincidence of chimney technology against the upswing of cheese consumption by lactose intolerant people.

Re: and so the chimney was invented (Score: 1)

by evilviper@pipedot.org on 2014-12-15 01:09 (#2VY9)

Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, direct from the History Channel's Modern Marvels episode on toilets & sanitation:
You realize how bad the situation was if you look at the palace of Versailles. A fortune was spent in constructing it. It had these wonderful halls of mirrors, elaborate chandeliers, and you might have a thousand people being entertained. Eating and drinking copiously, but where did they go to the bathroom? There was not a single bathroom in the entire elaborate palace. And the answer is, they went in the stairwells. One of the reasons the French applied so much perfume during that period was to overcome all of the indoor odors from people relieving themselves.
And the idea that a man walks on the left side of the female dates back to this time. It was polite for him to get hit by the contents of the chamber pot and spare the woman.

Re: and so the chimney was invented (Score: 1)

by lmariachi@pipedot.org on 2014-12-15 22:10 (#2VZ6)

Not left/right, but rather walking between the lady and the buildings the chamber pots were being emptied out of. With the advent of indoorish plumbing, the decorum switched to walking on the outside, that the gentleman might shield the lady from gutter contents splashed up by passing carriages.

Re: and so the chimney was invented (Score: 0)

by Anonymous Coward on 2014-12-16 11:19 (#2VZS)

NEW TOPIC required. Now regretting this offcoloured joke.

Junk Status

Marked as [Not Junk] by bryan@pipedot.org on 2015-01-02 05:15