People have been thinking up ideas for new inventions since prehistoric times. The Chinese were the first to use toilet paper, 1,500 years ago. Several centuries after they had started making paper, perforated rolls were invented in the late 1800s. Whoopee cushions were used over 1,800 years ago. No one knows who invented this prank but the Roman emperor Elagabalus is thought to have an early version of them to surprise his dinner guests. Drinking straws - Over 5,000 years ago the first known straw was found in a Sumerian tomb. It was made of gold. Modern paper straws have been used since the 1800s.