35 TV & Film Firsts We Didn't Realize Changed Everything

All too often, we take the commonplace things we see in film and television for granted. We assume that someone, somewhere, must have done the first-- but who? 

Toilet flushes, pregnancy, husbands and wives are sharing a bed-- these are all things that we see on a regular basis, but somebody had to do them first. In many cases, these things were actually quite controversial when they were first depicted onscreen. The flush toilet was invented in 1596, but it wasn't until the late 1800s that it started appearing in films. In 1901's 'Cinderella,' one of the first-ever animated films, the titular character is shown flushing a toilet-- though this scene was cut from later versions of the film due to its controversial nature. Pregnancy was another taboo subject that was frequently censored in early films. It wasn't until 1945's 'Leave Her to Heaven' that a pregnant woman was shown onscreen. The film caused such a stir that the Motion Picture Association of America introduced a new code limiting the depiction of pregnancy in films. And finally, there's the issue of husbands and wives sharing a bed. This might seem like a no-brainer today, but it was actually quite scandalous when it was first.

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