The document discusses the origins of bathtubs in the United States in the mid-1800s. When first introduced, bathtubs were believed to be unhealthy and hazardous to one's health by many medical professionals. It took some time for bathtubs to become popular in the US, as cities only allowed baths under medical supervision or made bathing illegal. Finally in 1850, when President Fillmore ordered a bathtub for the White House, it began to calm the controversy around bathtubs being unhealthy. However, years later the author of the original article stated it was intentionally absurd and not based on facts.

1. The Unhealthy Bathtub
Claim: When the bathtub was introduced to the United
States in the mid 1800’s, its popularity was hindered by
the belief that bathing was hazardous to one’s health.

2. Origins:
 In 1917, the New York Evening Mail published an article outlining the
history of the bathtub. Cincinnati was the first city to ever have installed
a bathtub in 1842. Adam Thompson, a cotton dealer, was the man that
got one.
 It took a long time for bathtubs to catch on in the United States because
originally, the vast majority of American medicine professionals believed
that they caused illness.
 Many cities across the US only offered baths under medical
supervision, anything else was illegal.
 In 1850, President Fillmore ordered a bathtub for the White
House, finally calming the controversy.
 Years later, in 1926, H.L. Mencken, the author of the article stating the
information above, announced that the article was simply a “tissue of
absurdities” and it was supposed to be obvious.

3. The Unhealthy Bathtub
Verdict: False
 Mencken concluded his 1926 article by quoting Henry Ford:
“History, said a great American soothsayer, is bunk.”