DRINKING FOUNTAIN

The first thing we encountered on entering Greenwich Park was this impressive granite drinking fountain near the entrance.
Neither of the  of the  boys had ever encountered one before, but the ever-erudite Nërp filled in the gaps in their knowledge, explaining that, while in the 21st Century they might be considered unhygienic, water fountains have a long and important history:
❝For close to a century, a primary means for providing the public with the water they need has been the drinking fountain.
The drinking fountain, as we know it, was developed in the early 1900s by Halsey Taylor and Haws. These two companies, founded by Halsey Willard Taylor and Luther Haws respectively, pioneered a major change in how water was dispensed in public places. In doing so, they also helped reduce the instance of waterborne diseases among the general population. In fact, Halsey W Taylor's dedication to providing a safe and sanitary drink to the public was prompted by his father's death from typhoid fever caused by a contaminated water supply.❞
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When I was a kid, drinking fountains still had a metal cup chained to them for all to share, – now that really *was* unhygienic!