The correct orientation of the end of a toilet paper roll in a bathroom dispenser — on the outside (over), or behind the roll (under) — has sparked decades of debate, even within families.

The topic of conversation is a patent from 1891 with the dull title " Wrapping or toilet paper roll." Inventor Seth Wheeler of Albany, New York, patented a toilet paper roll with tear-off sheets.

His 1894 patent for a roll of toilet paper “composed of a plurality of individual rolls united so as to revolve simultaneously” clearly shows three rolls all in the “under” configuration.

A tweet of an 1891 patent for toilet paper provides evidence for the under vs. over debate. There is nothing like a debate to get people going on social media.

BAM. The patent describes Figure 1 as “a view of my roll of paper having arched and serrated incisions with a sheet hanging therefrom” and Figure 2 as a representation of “a detached sheet ...