Interesting bit...

We really don't think or don't know that a everyday objeat like an umbrella has a history....some facts that are interesting!There are quite a few things so I will divide in 2 posts...
Mostly used during rains now, umbrellas were initially invented to protect the skin from scorching sun. The earliest use of umbrella dates back to the civilisations of Egypt, Assyria, Rome, Greece and China. Roman women oiled the umbrella cloth and used it for protection from the rain too.

However, its modern avatar, i.e, a contraption of cloth and iron, has its origin in the medieval England. The word 'umbrella' comes from the Latin root word 'umbra', meaning shade.The first English painting with an umbrella appeared in 1596 AD. Initially, considered as a female accessory, it was popularised among the male strata by a Persian traveller, Jonas Hanway (1712-86). He carried it publicly for 30 years. In as late as the 19th century the English gentry referred to their umbrellas as 'Hanway'.

An Englishman, John MacDonald, is credited with the use of silk cloth in an umbrella for the first time. The first umbrella shop, 'James Smith and Sons', was opened in 1830 and is still located at 53, New Oxford Street, in London. It was some 20 years later that Samuel Fox invented the steel-ribbed umbrella design in 1852. Since then the basic umbrella design has undergone various changes, becoming compact, collapsible and lightweight. In the fashion ensemble of women, light coloured cloth with floral or other designs is used to make sleek umbrellas that serve as protection against both the sun and rainTechnically speaking, an umbrella made for protection from the sun is called a parasol. These are often meant to be fixed at one point and often used with patio tables or other outdoor furniture on beaches, besides swimming pools and luncheons in lawns.