| Most people own an umbrella whether they work from | | | | by carrying one habitually in London." He died in 1786 |
| home, are in the corporate world or do not work at all. | | | | and is said to have carried umbrellas for thirty years. |
| However few know the history behind this wonderful | | | | Victorian umbrellas had frames of wood or baleen but |
| gadget. Do you know when it was first invented and | | | | these were expensive and hard to fold when wet. |
| who invented it? | | | | Samuel Fox invented steel-ribbed umbrellas in 1852. In |
| Umbrellas (or parasols) are defined as "a canopy | | | | the mid-19th century the 'parasol' (Fr: 'against the sun') |
| device designed to protect from precipitation or | | | | emerged. They were distinguished from umbrellas in |
| sunlight." The word evolved from the Latin 'umbella' | | | | being solely a sunshade and became an accessory of |
| ('umbel' being a flat-topped rounded flower) and 'umbra' | | | | dress until the emergence of the automobile. (In |
| meaning 'shaded', and from the Ancient Greek | | | | Ancient Greece it was an indispensable accessory to |
| 'ombros' meaning shade or shadow. | | | | a lady of fashion and its use was confined to women. |
| Collapsible umbrellas are said to have been invented in | | | | For a man to carry one was considered a mark of |
| ancient China, approximately 1,700 years ago, however | | | | effeminacy.) Today, parasols are generally fixed at |
| an ancient source arises in the ancient book of | | | | one point and usually used with outdoor furniture |
| Chinese ceremonies entitled Zhou-Li (The Rites of | | | | whereas umbrellas are almost exclusively hand-held |
| Zhou), dated 2400 years ago. The Chinese character | | | | portable devices. |
| for umbrella is in fact a pictograph resembling modern | | | | Umbrellas have undergone numerous improvements |
| day umbrellas in design. It is thought that its invention | | | | over the centuries. Modern designs usually have a |
| was first created by tying large leaves to bough-like | | | | telescoping steel trunk and new materials such as |
| ribs. | | | | cotton, plastic film and nylon have generally replaced |
| Umbrellas became almost extinct in Europe during the | | | | the original silk, oiled paper, bamboo and wood. Today |
| Middle Ages. It is thought that people depended on | | | | we now have the 'brolly' (a British and Australia slang) |
| cloaks rather than umbrellas for protection against | | | | and the 'bumbershoot' (an Americanism from the late |
| storms. It was rediscovered as a business opportunity | | | | 19th century) and various other designs. However, |
| in the late 16th century when it was introduced as the | | | | apart from protection from inclement weather, did you |
| 'parapluie' (Fr: 'against the rain'). It went into general use | | | | know that there are more than 10 very different and |
| in the late 18th century. Jonas Hanway, the founder of | | | | fascinating uses for this wonderful gadget? These are |
| the Magdalen Hospital, has the credit of being "the first | | | | described in my next article! |
| man who ventured to dare public reproach and ridicule | | | | |