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More about umbrellas
History of Umbrellas
Three countries are likely to spark off the umbrella's creation: Egypt, India and China. It seems that the first umbrella would have appeared in China but it is still unproven.
During the Antiquity, umbrellas did not protect from the rains but from the harmful sun's rays. Until the eighteen century, umbrellas was considered as accessories for nobles and people who came from a wealthy background. They were heavy, bulky and uneasy to handle. After few years, umbrellas were made with an oilcloth and next came silk and satin. Nowadays, the umbrella's cloth is made with thick nylon fabric.
Then thanks to a globe-trotter, Sir Jonas Hongway, the invention went in Persia and then in England. Hongway had troubles to convince the British to take the umbrella. In 1750, when he walked in London for the first time with an umbrella, passer-by thought that he was mad. According to the inhabitants of England, umbrellas were too effeminate and they refused to have them. Today, they are the first ones to use the protection against the rain...
In 1705 arrived one of the most innovation for umbrellas. Jean Marius, French, created an umbrella which was folded in three parts and could be held in a pocket.
Subsequently, in 1930, Hans Haupt, German, invented the telescopic handle. A little later, in 1991, Tsun Wu Tsung, Taiwanese, made the umbrella Futec, the first one which fold up only pushing a small button on the handle.
Today, you can find lovely and useful umbrellas almost everywhere in the whole world, but do you know that in some countries of Northern Europe the umbrella is still regarded as something "weird"? The inhabitants only use simply protections from rain such as a rain hood and raincoat as it is inconceivable for them to be seen underneath an umbrella.
