The use of sunglasses has become as popular and common as the use of clothing such as hats, ties and gloves. Sunglasses are often considered a necessity rather than an accessory. Centuries ago, they were only worn by the wealthy and even in the early 1900s, only those with fame and fortune wore these special glasses.
Tales of “sun cheaters,” among other unusual names, were told in the days of the Roman Empire, when the Emperor covered his eyes with bits of emerald to help hide the sun from his vision. Obviously, the efforts that were used diminished the sun but did not protect the eyes from the harmful rays. In fact, they reduced the clarity of what people were seeing.
Sometime in 12th century China, the first sunglasses were a rough slab of smoky quartz made only for the very rich. The quartz slab soon progressed to a slab with a roughly shaped frame to help hold the quartz to the wearers face. These useful items were not only used to block the sun, but were also used to hide the emotions of others when talking to them. This was particularly helpful to the judges of that time, giving them an air of detachment from the subject being discussed and keeping their feelings hidden while they questioned the defendant.
As time went by, so did the progression of the appearance of sunglasses. Around 1400, sunglasses became darker and were introduced to Italy via the Chinese. In the 18th century, a man named James Ayscough was experimenting with sunglasses, not to help protect oneself from the sun’s rays, but to help improve vision for people with vision problems. He believed that by changing the color of the lenses to a blue/green tint, he could help correct certain vision conditions.
But sunglasses didn’t become popular until the early 1920s, when Hollywood stars and aspiring stars began wearing them to shield their eyes from stage lights and blinding camera flashes. The mass production of sunglasses occurred in the late 1920s, when a man named Sam Foster founded his company, Foster Grant, in Atlantic City, where sunbathers were a steady stream of sunglasses sales. .
The Army Air Corps was at the forefront of sunglass development when it approached an optical company by the name of Bausch and Lomb to create effective glasses to protect pilots from glare at high altitude. In the mid-1930s, Edwin H. Land (founder of the Polaroid Corporation) invented Polaroid filters, which now changed sunglasses from being a sun protection item to a health aid because they now also protect the eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays. In the late 1930s, when World War II was about to break out, anti-glare aviator glasses were being made for aviators and a year later, the same sunglass technology was available to the general public.
In the 1960s, sunglasses rose in popularity as an impressive fashion statement. In the 1970s, sales continued to rise steadily, and many fashion designers and stars of stage and screen came up with their own designs and styles. Sunglasses are attractive, practical, and now available in every shape, size, and color imaginable. They are even available for babies and seniors and all age groups in between. They have come a long way from eye-high smoky quartz and emerald chunks to the beautiful designs we see today.
