The birth of sunglasses is of Chinese origin as an accessory that was by no means designed to block sun rays as they are now. For many centuries it was routine for Judges in China to adorn tinted quartz lenses in order to hide their eye expressions within court rooms in order to maintain secrecy about their own leanings in court cases. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that sunglasses as we know came to the fore as an invention of the entrepreneur Sam Foster in 1929.In most recent times sunglasses have utilised technology with Oakley Sunglasses adding a music player to their sunglasses and a number of Japanese prototypes emerging that carry a small interface in the lenses

1. Outdoors
Sunglasses A Brief History
Abstract
The birth of sunglasses is of Chinese origin as an accessory
that was by no means designed to block sun rays as they are
now For many centuries it was routine for Judges in China to
adorn tinted quartz lenses in order to hide their eye
expressions within court
By John Pierce
United Kingdom
July 20, 2009
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2. | Sunglasses A Brief History
The birth of sunglasses is of Chinese origin
as an accessory that was by no means
designed to block sun rays as they are now.
For many centuries it was routine for Judges
in China to adorn tinted quartz lenses in
order to hide their eye expressions within
court rooms in order to maintain secrecy
about their own leanings in court cases. It
wasn’t until the twentieth century that
sunglasses as we know came to the fore as
an invention of the entrepreneur Sam Foster
in 1929. The first pair of sunglasses were
put on sale in Atlanta, New Jersey and
within the year that followed sunglasses
became a mst have accessory for all in the
region, particularly for those who spent their time on the beach.
The next key event in the history of sunglasses followed in 1936 when sunglasses
were polarized making them a safer product to wear when experiencing the gaze of
the sun. This advance came about through the endeavours of the Army Air Corps in
1930 who developed polarized spectacles in order to protect pilots from the dangers
of glare at high altitudes. The smart invention was the result of perfection of the
special green tint that absorbed light which fell into the yellow band of the spectrum
creating the polarized effect.
As a fairly low key phenomena in America and within the military, it was not until the
1960’s that a chic sunglasses advertising campaign ran by the comb and glass firm
of Foster Grant encouraged well-known fashion designers, as well as Hollywood
stars to escalate the sunglass craze in the ‘70s with their brand-name lines.
In a relatively short period of time the giant sunglasses industry had been born
where only a few decades earlier none existed. Much like how women since ancient
times hid seductively behind an expanded fan or a dipped parasol, the modern
woman discovered an allure in wearing sunglasses, regardless of the advantages of
avoiding solar glare.
In most recent times sunglasses have utilised technology with Oakley Sunglasses
adding a music player to their sunglasses and a number of Japanese prototypes
emerging that carry a small interface in the lenses. Whilst still at a conceptual stage
the idea of being able to interact with a computer and connect to the World Wide
Web through the lenses within your glasses and control the interface with neuron
connection is not a million miles away. If further advances are made with
sunglasses it would mark the completion of a remarkable journey from the court
rooms of China through to cyberspace via simple eye protection and a tool to aid air
to air combat!
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3. About The Author
Sunglasses Oakley Sunglasses
John Pierce is a sunglasses enthusiast based in London
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