How one unconventional rebel made the use of umbrellas go mainstream
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When the umbrella was first invented, it wasn't meant to be used for rain. The umbrella got its start over 4,000 years ago in Egypt, eventually spreading to Asian countries such as China. Initially, it was used to provide shade from the sun.
In Egypt, the umbrella was used for royalty and to keep womens' skin pale, which was seen as a sign of wealth and notability at that time.
When umbrellas spread to China, the color and size of an umbrella could tell a story about its owner, and red and yellow umbrellas were reserved for the imperial family, according to Knirps. It wasn't until the Chinese waxed and lacquered umbrellas that they started to become waterproof and used for rain.
"Sun umbrellas came along focused on the Asian market and slowly some tweaks and design changes [were made]," said Tyler Kupper, a partner at the umbrella company Weatherman.
Near the year A.D. 500, umbrellas were no longer used as a sign of wealth. In fact, they didn't become popular in areas farther west for another 1,000 years, according to ThoughtCo.
Umbrellas of the 1600s were made out of woven silk that provided limited water resistance, but the design remained very similar to what is still seen today, according to Cheeky Umbrella.
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A woman carries an umbrella while walking in the rain in San Francisco, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) |
Umbrellas were seen as women's fashion for centuries until Englishman Jonas Hanway, a philanthropist and traveler, started to carry an umbrella with him everywhere he went in the 1700s, a gesture that was initially met with ridicule and outrage, according to Atlas Obscura.
Hanway had already built up a reputation as someone who was "always stubborn, paid little attention to the social stigma" because he opposed introducing tea into England before he started carrying his controversial umbrella, Atlas Obscura reported.
Despite early scrutiny, Hanway soon proved to be a trendsetter as other cities started to see more men carrying umbrellas.
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"Passer Payez", a circa 1803 painting by Louis-Leopold Boilly, shows pedestrians using umbrellas as rain pours down in Paris. |
His impact not only made umbrellas become fashionable for men, but the term "Hanway" became synonymous with the word umbrella.
By the mid-1800s, umbrella shops were popping up around Europe with the first opening in London in 1830, The Telegraph reported.
The first foldable umbrella was invented in Vienna by Hans Haupt in 1928, according to Knirps. Haupt, a mining assessor from Poland who was injured in World War I, created this design so he could carry a walking stick and an umbrella at the same time. He called it Knirps, which means "little guy" -- a reference to its small size. After a difficult search for a manufacturer, Haupt found a partner -- and the design was used worldwide within just a few years.
Now, there are more than 3,000 patents for umbrellas around the world.
"There's tens of millions of umbrellas sold every year in the United States, and most people buy an umbrella as a reactionary purchase. ‘Oh, it's raining; I'll buy an umbrella today!'" said Kupper.
In the 2010s, the first smart umbrellas reached the markets. One of these smart umbrellas, made by Kisha, connects to your smartphone and alerts you whenever you leave your umbrella behind.
Another smart umbrella, manufactured by the company Weatherman, promises never to turn inside out and can connect to your phone to be tracked via Bluetooth.
With millions of umbrellas in thousands of different styles, it's hard to believe a small invention has had such a huge impact on culture and how we protect ourselves from the elements.
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