To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off When it rains. But actually the umbrella wasn't invented as protection against rain. Its first use was a shade against the sun!
Nobody knows who first invented it, hut the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably duanwenw.com the first to use it were the Chinese, way back in the eleventh century BC.
We know the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor duanwenw.com and authority. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by royalty or by those in high office.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against Romans.
During the middle ages, the use of umbrella practically disappeared Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered a symbol duanwenw.com of power and authority. Byl680, the umbrella appeared in France, and later in England.
By the eighteen century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that women's umbrellas began to he made, in a whole.