Home Today Is Shangyu, China, Has Over A Thousand Umbrella Factories (+20 More Fun Facts)

Shangyu, China, Has Over A Thousand Umbrella Factories (+20 More Fun Facts)

National Umbrella Day casts a little shade on February 10th. The day honors one of the world’s most useful inventions, the umbrella!

  • Not only does the umbrella help keep us dry from the rain, but it also protects us from the heat of the sun.
  • Umbrellas can also be used as a fashion accessory.
  • While the umbrella is primarily practical, they also decorate cocktails. These brightly colored paper umbrellas make for fun party favors especially when visiting sunny locations.
  • Umbrellas have also found their way into the art world. Their color and shape make sharp silhouettes. They also serve as the canvas for art.
  • In movies, umbrellas play a role, too. For example, they played vital parts in both Singing in the Rain in 1952 and in Mary Poppins in 1964.
  • The word umbrella comes from the Latin word umbra, meaning shade or shadow.  Brolly is a slang word for umbrella, often used in Britain, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.  Bumbershoot is a fanciful Americanism for an umbrella from the late 19th century.
  • The basic umbrella was invented over four thousand years ago. There is evidence of umbrellas in the ancient art and artifacts of Egypt  Assyria, Greece and China.
  • We can credit the Chinese for being the first to protect us from the rain. Their paper parasols received a layer of wax followed by lacquer that made the umbrella repel the elements.
  • One of the first umbrella shops in existence opened in 1830 at 53 New Oxford Street in London, England. The shop, operated by James Smith and Sons, still operates regular hours at the same location today.
  • In 1928, Hans Haupt’s pocket umbrellas appeared.
  • In 1969, Bradford E. Phillips, the owner of Totes Incorporated of Loveland, Ohio, obtained a patent for the first “working folding umbrella.”
  • Umbrellas have also been fashioned into hats as early as 1880 and as recently as 1987.
  • Photographers use umbrellas with a reflective inside as a diffusion device when employing artificial lighting and as a glare shield and shade, most often in portrait situations.
  • During its first thousand years of life, parasols were viewed as a symbol of wealth and power. Many civilizations practiced the tradition of showcasing exotic and complex made parasols for their rulers.
  • The first man who publicly carried an umbrella was Englishman Jonas Hanway. His influence finally introduced the umbrella to the male population of England, and soon after the entire world.
  • The majority of modern umbrellas are made in China.  One city in China (Shangyu) has over a thousand umbrella factories.
  • Over 33 million umbrellas are sold in the United States each year.
  • Currently, there are many types of umbrellas on the market – traditional, automatic, compact, bubble, storm and crutch umbrellas (they can serve as a walking stick or cane).
  • Steel ribbed umbrellas were invented in 1852 by Samuel Fox.
  • Modern-day umbrellas are coated with Teflon, which makes their canopy waterproof.
  • One of the most famous hats that serves as a big parasol is the Mexican sombrero (which can be translated as “shade maker”).

Sources

National Day Calendar

Dollys Brollys

Farmers Almanac