In 1886, Waterloo's Jacob Ball submitted a patent for an attachment to a privy (outhouse) seat which would close the hole of the seat until the user was seated there. It would thereby keep smell and gas from escaping when it was not in use.
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The Waterloo Pump
University of Waterloo professors Alan Plumtree and Alfred Rudin developed a solution simple and versatile to help deliver clean water to villages in developing countries.