Every morning you wake up, and before doing anything else you go to the toilet. You take it for granted that it will just suffice to pull the handle and the water will flush your toxines away. But behind that little gesture is a long history and the guy who made that possible is non other than Sir John Harington (also spelled Harrington): 
Sir John Harington by Hieronimo Custodis, c. 1590–93
Guess what, that amazing piece of engineering that you use everyday comes all the way from the end of the XVI century, and it was called the Ajax
Elizabeth I’s Flushing toilet
I for one, will be always gratefull in memoriam to this british subject who so cleverly created one of the most important devices of our history.
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