It’s another snow day here in my neck of the Pacific Northwest woods, and I'm looking forward to spring, as I do every wintry February.
As big fat flakes of snow drift through the trees outside my window, I’m dreaming of warm weather and sunshine—specifically of me lying on a beach in California (where I grew up) watching the waves through a pair of gorgeous sunglasses.
Whether they’re used to see better on a sunny day or to correct poor eyesight at any time, glasses have been a necessity and a fashion choice for centuries.
In prehistoric and early historic times, the Inuit people up near the Arctic Circle used goggles made from flattened walrus ivory to shield their eyes from the reflection of sunshine on the snow.
However, these spectacles worked by narrowing the wearer’s field of vision rather than masking the glare.
In ancient Rome, Emperor Nero contributed to the development of eyewear when he held one of his emeralds up to his face during gladiator battles in the Coliseum. S…
As big fat flakes of snow drift through the trees outside my window, I’m dreaming of warm weather and sunshine—specifically of me lying on a beach in California (where I grew up) watching the waves through a pair of gorgeous sunglasses.
Whether they’re used to see better on a sunny day or to correct poor eyesight at any time, glasses have been a necessity and a fashion choice for centuries.
In prehistoric and early historic times, the Inuit people up near the Arctic Circle used goggles made from flattened walrus ivory to shield their eyes from the reflection of sunshine on the snow.
However, these spectacles worked by narrowing the wearer’s field of vision rather than masking the glare.
In ancient Rome, Emperor Nero contributed to the development of eyewear when he held one of his emeralds up to his face during gladiator battles in the Coliseum. S…