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134-year-old toilet paper patent finally settles the over or under debate.
There are plenty of unsettled debates around conspiracies, best TV episodes, or the ongoing Apple vs Android battle.
Over the years, many forums, listicles and website pages have been dedicated to showing us the proper way to position our toilet paper.
And now, thanks to a 134-year-old patent for perforated toilet paper, we officially have our answer for the over vs under debate..
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The inventor of perforated toilet paper Seth Wheeler filed the patent in 1891, illustrating his revolutionary creation.
It also clearly shows the paper going up and over the roll, not under.
Writer Owen Williams discovered a picture of the original patent in 2015 and shared it across X (then Twitter) with the world.
The Google Patents Database also confirm this, presenting several diagrams with the toilet paper going over the roll.
Interestingly, the idea for perforated toilet paper was patented initially by Wheeler's Albany Perforated Wrapping Paper Company in 1871.
Then, to prevent waste and make each sheet easier to separate, the paper was re-patented in a roll-form in 1891.
"Since the advent of rolls of paper…many devices designed to prevent waste have been patented; but all effort in this direction has been apart from the roll of paper-namely, in the construction of holders for the rolls provided with means to prevent free unwinding of the roll and cause the sheets to separate singly at their connecting points," Wheeler wrote in his patent.
"My improved roll may be used on the simplest holders."
So, now that's over. According to the patent, over is the official way to go. Social media users have been praising Mumford on X for spreading the news.
"Thank you!! Tired of having this debate," one person replied.
"You're a damn hero for sharing this," added another, while someone else exclaimed: "I KNEW I WAS RIGHT."
Yet not everyone’s convinced. The 'under' party still argues that their way is better, claiming it’s harder for cats and dogs to unroll the paper and make a mess.
"under is only acceptable if you have #cats, and eventually they figure that out too and unroll it onto the floor in a heap anyway," one person argued.
Meanwhile, some users don't think the patent settles the debate at all, writing: "I'm not sure this settles it. Is this perspective from the wall side or the outside? HARD TO TELL!!"
Whether you’re team over or under, the choice is yours. But as long as it’s there when you need it, who’s really keeping score?
