Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from Radiotopia. My name is Jody Avergan.

This day, February 1973, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley orders the immediate end to pay toilets at the city's three major airports.

This was in the middle of what can be only described as an era of massive reform when it came to the way that Americans used public toilets.

Pay toilets had been the norm in lots of the country, but a genuine grassroots movement

had advocated for getting rid of pay toilets. And in around 1973 and 1974, justice rolled down like waters

swirling through a toilet bowl. I promise listeners, that's my only toilet-related pun of this

episode. It's going to be very hard to resist, though. We'll see as we have this conversation.

But for real, though, the fights over free toilets and pay toilets has a lot to say about the

activism and reform of the era. And of course, the question of whether bathrooms should be free

continues today. There's public restrooms and then there's restrooms at places like Starbucks

and other chains and restaurants. Starbucks has vowed to start cracking down on their

toilet policy here to discuss the free toilet fights of the 1970s.

As always, Nicole Hammer of Vanderbilt and Kelly Carter Jackson of Wellesley.

Hello there.

Hello, Jody.

Hey there.

I'm very fascinated by this story.

And I want to start big picture here because, yeah, toilets in this country weren't always free,

and toilets around the world aren't always free, right?

No, no.

If you've ever traveled to Europe, you know, that you have to put in like a euro or maybe it's,

I can't remember how much it costs.

...