First patent for a flushing toilet

The first patent associated with a flushing toilet was obtained in 1775 by Alexander Cumming (UK). The Scottish watchmaker and mechanic improved upon a flushing mechanism designed by in c. 1590 by English aristocrat John Harington by introducing an S-shaped double bend in the waste pipe, which trapped water and prevented noxious sewer gases entering the water closet. This J-, U- or S-bend design is still in use today. Cumming's design also swirled the wash water, more effectively cleaning the toilet bowl.

Cummings was a celebrated horologist and organ builder, and a member of the Board of Latitude that assessed John Harrison's marine chronometer. He was probably born in Edinburgh but moved to London, where he opened a watch shop in Bond Street.

Cumming Street in the Pentonville area of London and the island of Cummingøya in Spitsbergen, Norway, are both named in his honour.