In France, the word for “public urinal” is vespasienne, and this has a fascinating origin story. Originally known as colonnes Rambuteau after the Comte de Rambuteau, who oversaw their installation in the 1830s. Not wanting his name associated with pissoirs, the Comte suggested the use of vespasienne, referencing Emperor Vespasian of Rome who ruled from 69 to 79 CE. Vespasian famously imposed a tax on urine collected from public toilets for use in tanning. Despite the practice not being entirely unique (Nero had done something similar a decade earlier), Vespasian’s witty response of pecunia non olet (“money does not stink”) to critics made the story memorable. Rambuteau cleverly used this historical anecdote to detach his name from the facilities.
