The summer. A time for relaxing at the beach or by the pool. But what about that bright sunshine? Sunglasses have been around a lot longer than most people think.
The original creators of sunglasses were blacksmiths and glassblowers. After working long hours in front of a burning forge, many blacksmiths and glassblowers found their eyesight becoming damaged from the glow of the forge. As a result, they took two pieces of flat glass, wrapped them in an iron frame, then stuck them in the smoke from the forge for a few moments, causing the pieces of glass to become hazed and smokey. By wearing the glasses, they reduced the strain on their eyes -- and thus sunglasses were born.
On another summer note, many of us like to work on our tan while lounging around in our sunglasses. Back during the medieval age though, it was considered poor taste for anyone of wealth to have a tan. Pale skin was in at the Royal Courts of every country, since only peasants who worked the fields were the ones getting tan. In fact, the more pale the better, giving rise to covering one's face in white powder.
Source(s):
http://realmillenniumgroup.homestead.com/tidbits.html
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