EVERYDAY THINGS

The toilet may be one of the most singular inventions mankind has ever made, helping turn Rome into an empire and enabling mankind to make the voyage into space. From modest holes in the ground to automated contraptions costing US$5,000, the toilet has undergone major transformation since its inception. While the Romans saw the first major public toilets advancement around 315 AD, it was not until London's "Great Stink" - aptly named for the summer of 1858 when London reeked from sewage gathering on the banks of the Thames River - that the Western world saw the development of high capacity sewers to handle the city's waste. Since then, engineers are constantly inventing new ways to make the toilet more efficient, from building apartment buildings with in-house waste processors to developing compost toilets that turn waste into fertilizer.

A 30,000 year old habit, shaving has become an aesthetic obsession and a multi-billion dollar industry. Companies are implementing high-tech research techniques using mini-spy cameras and one-way mirrors to study how razors cut and even the styles people use to shave. This heated competition has turned into one of the greatest corporate rivalries of the 21st century with razor blade powerhouses Gillette and Schick each vying for a share of the marketplace. From primitive Stone Age razors to modern day razor blade marvels, Everyday Things: Shaving takes viewers behind the scenes of an industry that dates back farther than the great pharaohs of Egypt.