A Short History of the Umbrella, Other : iPedia

No one wants to be caught outside in the rain without an umbrella. These handy devices come in an array of shapes and sizes, many that will conveniently tuck into a purse or g

Historians are unsure of when exactly umbrellas came into play. Some say Egypt while others say China. What is for sure is that they’ve been around a very long time. They weren’t intended to protect us from the rain, however. The ancient Greeks and Romans used them as shade from the sun. It was the Roman women who began to oil the cloth of the umbrella to protect it from moisture.

It wasn’t until the 1600’s that European women began to carry umbrellas, mostly as shade from the sun. Sometime in the 1700’s it became popular to carry wood and oilcloth models as protection from the rain. In 1750, an Englishman named Jonah Hanway decided to carry an umbrella everywhere he went. This was unheard of. Only women carried umbrellas. Because of this, he became the subject of much ridicule, but at least he was dry. Ignoring the snickers of those around him, Hanway carried his umbrella for 30 years. By the late 1700’s however, it became more acceptable for men to carry “hanways.”

Because they were made of wood, umbrellas were not only expensive, but they were difficult to operate. In 1852, Samuel Fox invented the steel ribbed kind that we see today. Since then, they’ve evolved. We now have umbrellas for the rain and sun. We use them on the beach, while playing golf, and on our patios and decks. What would we do without our umbrellas?

James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest. Read more at http://www.umbrellas-central.info

Love is a condition or phenomenon of emotional primacy, or absolute value. Love generally includes an emotion of intense attraction to either another person, a place, or thing; and may also include the aspect of caring for or finding identification with those objects, including self-love. Love can describe an intense feeling of affection, an emotion or an emotional state. In ordinary use, it usually refers to interpersonal love, an experience usually felt by a person for another person. Love is commonly considered impossible to define.
...click on link for more information and related articles.

Digg this article.

A Short History of the Umbrella

Other articles