subject: The Origin of Modern Sunglasses [print this page] The Origin of Modern Sunglasses The Origin of Modern Sunglasses
In summer days, most people are wearing sunglasses here and there. They are not just for protection, for fashion as well. But have you thought how do the sunglasses come out? Maybe you never thought of it, and just enjoy the advantages they bring to us. Ok, today I will tell you the origin of modern sunglasses in details.
In prehistoric and historic time, Inuit peoples wore flattened walrus ivory "glasses," looking through narrow slits to block harmful reflected rays of the sun. It is said that the Roman emperorNero liked to watchgladiator fights withemeralds. These, however, appear to have worked rather like mirrors.Flat panes ofsmoky quartz which offered no corrective powers but did protect the eyes from glare were used inChina in the 12th century or possibly earlier.
Contemporary documents describe the use of such crystals by judges in Chinesecourts to conceal their facial expressions while questioning witnesses. Yellow/amber and brown-tinted spectacles were also a commonly-prescribed item for people withsyphilis in the 19thand early 20th centuries because sensitivity to light was one of the symptoms of the disease.
In the early 1900s, the use of sunglasses started to become more widespread, especially among stars of silent movies. It is commonly believed that this was to avoid recognition by fans, but the real reason was they often had perennially red eyes from the powerfularc lamps that were needed due to the extremely slow speed film stocks used.The stereotype persisted long after improvements in film quality and the introduction ofultraviolet filters had eliminated this problem. Inexpensive mass-produced sunglasses were introduced to America bySam Foster in 1929.
