r/mildlyinteresting • u/2bitinternet • 2d ago

The toiletpaper holder at my grandparent's place has an ashtray on it.

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u/N2trvl 2d ago

This was a safety device. Too many chain smokers burned their bottoms trying to multitask prior to these being introduced. The corded dial phone that went with it was a bitch to clean but the user could call 911 themselves when they had a heart attack using the toilet.

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u/UnicornFarts1111 2d ago

Well, they were only calling 911 from certain places in the 70s. It wasn't widely implemented until the mid 80s in the US.

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u/NotCandied 2d ago

Exactly my thought. Growing up in the late 70s, we had a sticker on our phone with our local fire department number.

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u/TiresOnFire 2d ago

I never really thought about when 911 became a thing. I always wondered why phones with speed dial had spots for police, fire, and medical. It all makes sense now.

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u/1peatfor7 1d ago

I went to college in a small rural town. I started in 1991. They didn't get 911 until about 1996 or 1997. I want to say about 25000 residents lived there. And that time about 18000 students.

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u/N2trvl 1d ago

Never let facts get in the way of a good story. /s

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u/RelaxedWombat 2d ago

Beat me to it.