An S-shaped trap is also known as an S-bend. It was invented by Alexander Cumming in 1775 but became known as the U-bend following the introduction of the U-shaped trap by Thomas Crapper in 1880. The new U-bend could not jam, so, unlike the S-bend, it did not need an overflow.
Once invented, despite being simple and reasonably reliable, widespread use was slow coming. In Britain, the requirement to use traps was introduced only after the Great Stink in London, in the summer of 1858, when the objectionable smell of the River Thames, which was effectively an open sewer, affected the nearby Houses of Parliament. That motivated the legislators to authorise the construction of a modern sewerage system in the city, of which the S-bend was an essential component. , only about two-thirds of the world population have access to traps, in spite of the evidence that good sewage systems significantly improve economic productivity in places that employ them.