7K votes, 245 comments. 19M subscribers in the Damnthatsinteresting community.The answer to the contested question of "should a toilet paper roll face over or under when on the holder?" is answered. The answer is it should face OVER. Thought we could all use a little laugh this morning. The inventor of perforated toilet paper Seth Wheeler illustrated his new and futuristic creation with the paper going up and over the roll. The earliest forms of this bathroom essential didn't require a rolling contraption. The ageold question of whether toilet paper should sit under or over the roll has finally been solved. How? By a 124-year-old patent from 22 December 1891. Modern commercial toilet paper originated in the 19th century, with a patent for roll-based dispensers being made in 1883.