The Origin of Modern Sunglasses
Any invention comes from actual needs. As long as life provides opportunities, inventions are everywhere.
Sunglasses are very popular. In addition to reducing the incidence of eye diseases, sunglasses also play a great decorative role. In the beginning sunglasses were not invented to meet the needs of ordinary people, they were a kind of military supplies, special equipment for the military.
There are many theories about the origin of sunglasses, and it is credible that modern sunglasses were invented by Europeans.
The greatest wealth brought to mankind by the second industrial revolution was cars and airplanes, and cars and airplanes brought the popularity of goggles, because early airplanes were convertible, and they couldn’t be driven without goggles. For normal driving and protect the eyes, pilots are equipped with a goggle. This kind of goggle is transparent and can effectively block high winds and dust particles. It should be regarded as a better choice for pilot. However, reality is always more complicated than expected.
In 1923, a U.S. air force lieutenant boarded the plane wearing goggles as usual. This air force lieutenant has rich experience and courage, and has accomplished various tasks brilliantly. This time, he was determined to do a great thing which would go down in the history. It was to fly a small plane across the Atlantic. He made it finally. However, during this flight, he encountered unusual things.
He felt some physical discomforts during flight, and it became more serious when he returned to the base. He started nausea, vomiting and even headache. He thought they were caused by the unbearable dazzling lights which came from sun. He thought he needed new equipment.
Therefore, he visited the well-known Bausch & Lomb company at that time, told his troubles, and hoped that Bausch & Lomb could invent a new special eyeglasses that could effectively protect eyes. After that, Bausch & Lomb began to develop sunglasses. They believed the key is to invent lenses which could effectively block the strong sunlight at high altitude. After several years of analysis and many experiments, they finally invented a kind of sunglasses with green lenses. The lens of this kind of sunglasses is made of high-quality optical glass. Particles inside the green lens can absorb part of the sun's rays and block ultraviolet and infrared rays from entering human eyes after heat and chemical treatment. In 1930, the world's first sunglass was finally born.
When it was sent to the US Air Force, it immediately aroused everyone's interest. Everyone marveled at its magic, because it really achieved the goal of absorbing a lot of light and releasing a small amount of heat. This kind of sunglass not only won the support of the U.S. government, but also quickly was used in the U.S. Air Force. Later, this type of sunglasses was officially named "Ray-Ban." Since then, Ray-Ban has become synonymous with sunglasses.
During the Second World War, sunglasses were quickly recognized by the people of the world with the strong military power of the United States. In 1936, Bausch & Lomb introduced sunglasses to the mass market. Sunglasses can not only block the harsh sunlight, but also beautify the image of people. Sunglasses are quickly loved by people and gradually become popular all over the world.
