Sunglasses Day - June 27

Everyone has at least one pair of them but Elton John has over a thousand. what are we talking about? about sunglasses of course!

Sunglasses are an item designed to protect our eyes. They absorb radiation and regulate the entry of sunlight to prevent glare, but they are also a popular fashion item that is necessary to complete our look and add a cool style.

We do not know why June 27 was chosen as sunglasses day, but what is known is that sunglasses were invented a long time ago. Already in the prehistoric period, the Inuit peoples (Eskimos) who lived in the Arctic realized that they needed to reduce the amount of light entering their eyes to prevent blindness that could be caused by the glare created by the sunlight returning from the snow. They made ivory accessories that limited the amount of light that entered the eyes.

Inuit sunglasses designed to reduce the entry of sunlight into the eyes

In the 14th century, Chinese court judges used "smoky" quartz glasses to hide their eye expressions during the trial and appear indifferent.

In the mid-18th century, James Iscoff of the United States experimented with glasses with lenses made of dark glass in order to find effective remedies for vision problems. His goal was not to protect the eyes from sunlight to prevent vision problems, but to solve the problems after they appeared. His glasses are similar to the sunglasses we have today, but they have not yet completely protected the eyes from the harmful rays of the sun.

One of the surviving testimonies from the history of sunglasses is that of the famous French scientist Antoine Lavoisier in 1772, who wore dark glasses while conducting an experiment related to combustion created by increasing sunlight.

In the photo: Antoine Lavoisier wears sunglasses (Source)

The sunglasses as we know them today began to be marketed only in 1929, when entrepreneur Sam Foster began selling them to people who visited the promenade on the shores of Atlantic City in the USA.

Those who have made a significant contribution to the promotion of sunglasses and their recognition as an essential commodity are the pilots of the U.S. Air Force in World War I. Many pilots have complained that sunlight causes them headaches, dizziness and nausea and also blinds them and interferes with them performing gentle maneuvers. Therefore, in 1933, the U.S. military ordered a large number of sunglasses from the optics company Bush & Lomb to protect its pilots.

In 1937, Bush & Lomb created the "Ray Banner" brand, which means "Ray Banner". The glasses gained much popularity mainly among men, thanks to the masculinity they radiated because of their connection to the military pilots.

In the 1960s, sunglasses became a fashionable accessory. In the time of the flower children the sunglasses were given an infinity of new shapes, sizes and colors, to complete the popular hippie look.

How to celebrate Sunglasses Day?

Sunglasses have a very long history, but also a promising future. They are a must-have item for everyone both for health and for appearance. The Sunglasses Day website wants to upload selfies with sunglasses to social media and add the hashtag #SunglassSelfie or #NationalSunglassesDay to celebrate this day.

June 27 is also Industrial Workers Of The World Day and Pineapple Day