Posted
on February 10, 2015
What
protects you from rain AND sun? What can protect you from wind or can
get totally (and literally) out of hand in the wind? What do Mary
Poppins and British gentlemen always carry?
Of
course we are talking about one of the most useful of inventions—the
umbrella, also known as a sunshade, brolly, or parasol.
The
first umbrellas were created as protection from the sun, probably in
China in the 11th Century B.C.E.
(There are ancient
sculptures and other evidence for early umbrella use in ancient,
India, Egypt, and other locales, too, and it is possible that there
were several separate inventions of portable sunshades.)
Back
in those early times, umbrellas-as-sunshades were generally used only
by the richest and most powerful – and they were often held or
carried by a servant!

In Britain,
philanthropist Jonas Hanway is considered the first gentleman to
carry an umbrella everywhere, rain or shine; and his constant use of
the accessory created a sensation. However, his practice caught on,
and soon enough almost all British gentlemen ALWAYS carried an
umbrella. It became a sort of badge of Britishness and of
gentlemanhood!

Also, many
umbrellas can be used against rain OR sun!
![]() |
Christo and Jeanne-Claude erected 1,760 blue umbrellas in Japan... |
![]() |
...and 1,340 yellow umbrellas in California.
Christo's projects cost 26 million dollars!
|
![]() |
A less expensive project covered part of Talca, Chile, with 400 red umbrellas. |
![]() |
This looks like a similar art installation... But it's really just a lot of people with umbrellas in Hong Kong! |
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