On a rainy day, an umbrella opens above us with a quiet rustle, and with it - millennia. Yes, our humble umbrella has a very long history. It is difficult to establish with certainty how old he is - either two thousand, or even more. In any case, in the East, the umbrella was known long before our era.
Instructions
Step 1
Nobody knows when a person came up with the idea to come up with this device. According to legends, many, many centuries ago, a Chinese man who loved his wife very much, invented for her a "roof that is always with her." It is not known whether this is true or not, but images of Chinese mandarins with umbrellas are present in ancient drawings dating back to the 10th century BC.
Ancient Egypt also had its own umbrellas, and they were used exclusively by the pharaohs. It is interesting that initially the umbrella was used exclusively for protection from the sun, and only after many, many centuries people came up with the idea to use it as protection from rain and wind.
Step 2
Only at the beginning of the 18th century, the umbrella began to be used to protect against rain. Attempts to make the umbrella as small as possible were always undertaken and the umbrella became foldable, however, when folded, it was about 30 cm.
The craftsmen of woodwork, bone, and stone were organizing competitions to find out who would best decorate the umbrella handle. There were also quirky umbrellas, more witty than useful. For example, an umbrella-hat: water collected in huge curved fields and flowed through a special drain. Umbrella-lightning rod: a wire was attached to it, which was supposed to protect a traveler caught by a thunderstorm from lightning. Umbrella-glasses, umbrella-travel bag, umbrella with a box for a mirror, powder and perfume. A lot of umbrellas, which, by pressing a button, turned into various useful things.
Umbrellas appeared in Russia later - only in the middle of the 18th century and, like most fashionable novelties, were exported from Paris. In those days in France, rain umbrellas were still clumsy and weighed at least two kilograms, so it was rather difficult to walk with them, but the sunny ones are flourishing: they are becoming more beautiful, more elegant, more cunning.
Graceful lace trinket umbrellas with frills and bows served the most refined coquetry. It is interesting that the very principle of the umbrella design, folding knitting needles between which the fabric is stretched, in general, has not undergone significant changes over a thousand years. First, the knitting needles were made from bamboo, wood, ivory, and now from metal. That's the whole difference.
Step 3
Nowadays, in obedience to fashion, umbrellas are sometimes large, sometimes small, folded to pocket size or stretched out in the shape of a cane. Modern umbrellas are no longer made of silk or leather, but of synthetic materials: "Bologna", a special transparent film. Traditional black umbrellas made of impregnated cotton fabric are still popular, only now they have become an accessory of the men's wardrobe. Women prefer brighter colors.
