| No one wants to be caught outside in the rain | | | | shade from the sun. Sometime in the 1700's it |
| without an umbrella. These handy devices come | | | | became popular to carry wood and oilcloth |
| in an array of shapes and sizes, many that | | | | models as protection from the rain. In 1750, |
| will conveniently tuck into a purse or glove | | | | an Englishman named Jonah Hanway decided to |
| compartment in case of a sudden downpour. | | | | carry an umbrella everywhere he went. This |
| Just about everyone owns an umbrella, but not | | | | was unheard of. Only women carried umbrellas. |
| many of us give them a second thought. What | | | | Because of this, he became the subject of |
| follows is a brief tribute to an item most of | | | | much ridicule, but at least he was dry. |
| us take for granted. | | | | Ignoring the snickers of those around him, |
| | | | Hanway carried his umbrella for 30 years. By |
| Historians are unsure of when exactly | | | | the late 1700's however, it became more |
| umbrellas came into play. Some say Egypt | | | | acceptable for men to carry "hanways." |
| while others say China. What is for sure is | | | | |
| that they've been around a very long time. | | | | Because they were made of wood, umbrellas |
| They weren't intended to protect us from the | | | | were not only expensive, but they were |
| rain, however. The ancient Greeks and Romans | | | | difficult to operate. In 1852, Samuel Fox |
| used them as shade from the sun. It was the | | | | invented the steel ribbed kind that we see |
| Roman women who began to oil the cloth of the | | | | today. Since then, they've evolved. We now |
| umbrella to protect it from moisture. | | | | have umbrellas for the rain and sun. We use |
| | | | them on the beach, while playing golf, and on |
| It wasn't until the 1600's that European | | | | our patios and decks. What would we do |
| women began to carry umbrellas, mostly as | | | | without our umbrellas? |