National Toilet Paper Day: 5 quirky tidbits about toilet paper

Happy National Toilet Paper Day! The only time you think about toilet paper may be when there's a two for one deal in the grocery store, but now, like all things, there's a day devoted to TP.

In honor of National Toilet Paper Day, which falls on Aug. 26 each year, here are five interesting tidbits about the household product most Americans use every day:

1. In the past, people grabbed what they could find to wipe. It wasn't uncommon for someone to use water, hay, corn cobs, leaves, sticks, stones, moss or fruit peels, according to toilet paper facts, compiled by Boston Standard Plumbing.

2. In 1857, Joseph C. Gayetty began selling toilet paper with his name printed on each sheet. He marketed the brand as medical tissue for hemorrhoids.

3. The U.S. spent $9.6 billion on standard toilet paper in 2014, according to business research company Euromonitor.

4. Looking for a cheap wedding dress? Charmin and Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com hold a toilet paper wedding dress contest each year. This year, 1,498 women took part of the challenge and the winner received $10,000, according to a Charmin statement. 

5. How big is a square of toilet tissue? The standard size of a sheet of toilet paper was once 4.5 inches wide and 4.5 inches long, but the size varies by half and inch or more.

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