The history of plumbing must begin with the origin of the word plumbing. The word plumbing comes from the Latin word plumbum which means lead. The word plumbing refers to the pipes and fittings for the distribution of water and gas, and the disposal of wastewater.
The first sewers were built in Rome between 800 B.C. C. and 735 a. C., before the first aqueduct was built approximately 500 years earlier. The Cloaca Maxima is one of the largest of the ancient sewers and is still in use. It was designed and built to carry surface water and provide drainage for the entire city. Sewage disposal has been a problem even since the earliest times. The disease was transmitted through water and waste due to ignorance. Then science would play an important role in finding ways to dispose of sewage and waste that wouldn’t make people sick. The history of plumbing in the United States began when New World settlers copied Indian methods for discharging waste and debris into running water, open fields, bushes, or forests.
They also dumped rubbish and debris out the front doors and windows onto the street, where pigs and scavengers would dispose of the rubbish. It was not very hygienic. Fortunately, the United States would set standards in health and safety. The master craftsman, blacksmith, toolmaker, tinsmith, and laminator were the first “plumbers.” Today a plumber is needed to unclog clogged drains, repair pipe leaks and build pipes in buildings.
They are also experts in building different styles of showers, replacing garbage disposals, etc. A primitive bathroom would be a chamber pot placed by the first settlers along with other crockery and tin. The convenient term was used to disguise its use. The term commode is still used as another name for a bathroom or toilet. Latrines, sheds, etc. it would eventually evolve into what our bathrooms are today.
Plumbers need education, training, and must gain experience as an apprentice for at least four to five years, before they can be qualified as “plumbers.” A qualified plumber may be a contractor for a company or may own their own business.
