Patent No. 465,588 for the toilet paper roll settles the question about how the roll is to be oriented.

It has been listed as one of the top causes of marital strife. It has divided families, torn friendships asunder, and generated more letters to advice columnist Ann Landers than any other topic. What could be such a controversial subject? The Presidential election? The latest Supreme Court opinion? The favored team for the World Series?

Try toilet paper orientation.

The controversial subject of “over” or “under” has divided people more than almost any other subject. It has even triggered arguments among the scientists stationed at Amundsen-Scott Research Station at the South Pole. There is even a Wikipedia page devoted to arguments for each opposing view.

For those who subscribe to the originalist philosophy of legal interpretation, this debate can be settled once and for all. When Seth Wheeler filed for a patent for “Improvements in Toilet-Paper Rolls” on December 22, 1891, he included a diagram of how the roll should be oriented on the hanger.

He was clearly an overachiever.