What are some funny ideas and facts about your sunglasses?
Luckily, many of us wear them as soon as we see a ray of sunshine: for some people they are a fundamental accessory without which they literally would not see a palm off their nose, for others they are “just” an aesthetic affectation that makes them feel more attractive and safe.
Whether you belong to the first or the second group, I bet you know very little about sunglasses, even though you use them quite often.
You wear them often and willingly, but do you know little or nothing about them? Do not worry, we will take care of your shortcomings with the 5 most interesting curiosities you can find out about sunglasses!
1) The first model of glasses was made by the Inuit: these objects were not equipped with lenses, but they tended to be made of wood, or walrus bone, worked in such a way as to have a slit that allowed a very reduced view but without the glare caused by snow.
2) The first example of a lens, instead, dates back to the Roman emperor Nero who, in order to observe gladiators, used an emerald that, because of its color, rested the sight and, thanks to its particular cut, improved its myopia.
3) Every minute and a half a pair of sunglasses is sold worldwide and one of the most expensive models in the world is the Chopard De Rigo Vision Sunglasses, sold at the modest price of 408,000 dollars.
4) Elton John is the world’s most fierce eyewear collector: it is said that no one has as many sunglasses as he does!
5) Round glasses (like John Lennon‘s, to understand each other) are called “teashades” and were born in the ’60s, when drug use was high, and these glasses were used to hide their effects.
We bet that you had no idea of much of the information that we have given you but we are sure that, instead, you are aware of the importance of using quality lenses when you use sunglasses.
Sunglasses and its origins
The first prototypes of sunglasses were created by the Inuit to protect themselves from the reflection of snow and ice. We are talking about frames without real lenses, wood or animal bones, in most cases walrus, with a slit that allowed a small view but without external glare.
Something similar can be found in the period of Ancient Rome, where the Roman emperor Nero used to use an emerald to observe the spectacle of gladiators, perhaps because of the color of the stone, which has a restful effect on the eyesight or perhaps because, cut in a particular way, it would have been useful to correct myopia.
In China, smoke-coloured lenses made of quartz material were used as early as around 1200, especially in courtrooms, to allow judges to hide their eyes and look neutral before passing sentence.
It was only in 1900, however, that the lenses were made to filter the sunlight and to break down the annoying rays to the human eye, giving good visibility even in moments of strong ambient lighting.
American Lieutenant John A. Macready suffered eye damage after a hot air balloon flight and asked Bausch & Lomb (now Ray Ban) to create a model of lenses that would protect pilots’ eyesight, but it was only in 1929 that Sam Foster founded the first company to produce sunglasses, achieving great success worldwide.
No sunglasses, curiosities from Japan!
Have you ever noticed that most Japanese people, whether they are men, women or children, do not wear sunglasses on a sunny day? During the travel in Japan, we noticed this very interesting thing!
The Japanese are a people with a very different culture from our western culture, but also from that of other Asian peoples. Many people noticed and learned some peculiarities that make Japan a strange country from our point of view and above all wonderful thanks to all its curiosities.
It is not really the first thing you notice about sunglasses. But when you notice it the first time, seeing only foreign tourists wearing sunglasses and not Japanese, then you start to notice it every day and never, in 15 days we did not met a resident wearing dark glasses.
We have also noticed that, during sunny days, the Japanese have two ways to protect themselves from the sun. The simplest and most sober is the sun umbrella, an umbrella, also cute and embroidered but obviously dark colored, which they always carry with them, especially women.
For those who do not want to carry an umbrella around even when it is not raining, there are large and extravagant hats, with a visor longer than normal, so that it covers their eyes from the sun’s rays.
In short, unlike us westerners who love to tan, it would seem that the Nipponese like to cover their skin, to keep it white and without imperfections.
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