The sunglasses we know and love today are available in all shapes and sizes. However, they appeared long after people startedexperimenting with lenses2. In Rome, Emperor Nero is said to have watched events through an emerald, which may haveacted as a magnifying glass3. In the mid-18th century, James Ayscough tried using green- and blue-tinted4 glass to correct vision5 problems. Interestingly, all of the first types of “sunglasses” actually had nothing to do with sunshine.
The stars of silent movies in the early 1900s became some of the first people to wear glasses toblock out light.Extremelybright lights were required forshooting films. Therefore, actors’ eyes often became. sore. Dark glasses allowed their eyes to rest between takes6. Sam Foster sold the first pair of real sunglasses in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1930. Shortly after, US Army Air Corps7 scientists developed dark-green sunglasses for pilots.
In the 1960s, advertising and the continued use of sunglasses by film stars increased their popularity. By the 1970s, everyone wore them, and it remains the same today. Just like in the past, people now wear sunglasses for all kinds of reasons.
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