When did jewellery become a part of human life?


 



               People used to wear jewellery even during olden times. They used to adorn themselves with necklaces, bracelets and pendants made out of wood, seashells, fish bones, pebbles and mammoth tusks.



               From 3800 BC onwards Western Europeans started wearing jewellery. Bone and ivory jewellery making industries flourished in France some 4000 years later. Gold was probably discovered in Mesopotamia before 3000 BC and the jewellery of Sumeria is among the most extraordinary jewellery ever made. It is said that the Sumerian queen Puabi was buried covered in a cloak of beads made from gold. From the 3rd millennium BC onwards the Egyptians started making jewellery.




What is the history of the umbrella?


               The umbrella was first made not to protect one from rain, but from the sun. The Chinese were credited with inventing the first form of umbrella — the silk umbrella. At the same time, rain umbrellas, more like parasols, were being used by the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Arabs and Indians, as early as the 4th century B.C.



               Initially, umbrellas were made with many different materials such as feathers, leather and leaves. However, the canopy shape of umbrellas had always been the same. The Romans called their umbrella by the name umbralum, meaning shady place. They were made of cloth stretched over a wooden frame.



               During the 5th century AD, the very first waterproof umbrella was made out of oiled mulberry bark. However, the Italians were the ones who invented the modern umbrella late in the 16th century. The word umbrella is adapted to English from Italian.



Picture credit: google


Where did the shirt originate?


 



 



               The shirt evolved from the simple T-shaped undergarment of the Middle Ages. The linen shirt soon became a staple of men’s wardrobes. Shirt collars and cuffs were detachable pieces of lace until the 19th century, when stiff collars and cuffs were attached to the shirt with fancy pins.



               Modern-day shirts with buttons in the front became common after 1900. Soon, stripes, checks, and lines gave more fashion. Although they had been around since the 1920s, chest pockets became a more common feature on shirts during the 1960s.



Picture credit: google



 


Why is it said that the introduction of the sewing machine was revolutionary?


               In 1790, the English inventor Thomas Saint invented the first sewing machine design, but he did not successfully advertise or market his invention. His machine was meant to be used on leather and canvas material.



               Barthelemy Thimmoniers, a French tailor, created the prototype for the first commercially produced model in 1830, but his machine was destroyed by rioting tailors afraid for their jobs. Later in 1834, Walter Hunt created the lock stitch, the first true sewing-machine stitch. But his daughter persuaded him not to patent it. Although all later machines used his lock stitch, he failed to profit from it.



               In 1843, a Boston mechanic Elias Howe developed a machine after watching his wife’s arm movements while sewing. He patented it in 1846. In 1851, Isaac Singer, produced one of the first truly practical sewing machines. He also introduced the first home sewing machine in 1856.



Picture credit: google


From when did Man begin to use needles?


               Primitive men used to stitch clothes using bones and thorns in order to protect themselves from the winter. Later, they started using earliest forms of needles, made out of bone, horn and ivory, with a round hole at one end, or in the middle.



               The Egyptians were the first to use copper pins to fasten their clothes. It was in Europe during the Bronze Age, that the first metal needles and pins with a wire bent over to form the head were made.



               It was in the 14th century that needles were first introduced in Europe. They were brought from the Middle East. In Germany in 1370, the proper steel needle with a hook at the end to hold the thread was made. The first modern-day metal needles with closed eyes were made in the Netherlands. Leather thongs were used instead of threads until spools were introduced in the 1700s. In 1820, Lemnel Wright developed a machine to make needles. In 1844, John Mercer invented cotton threads with sheen.



Picture credit: google


When did the history of the zip begin?


               In 1851, Elias Howe, an American inventor, received a patent for an ‘automatic, continuous clothing closure’. However, he did not receive much recognition as his marketing was unsuccessful.



               Many attempts in producing a perfect fastener had happened in the early days. But only in 1913 was the first practical hook less fastener patented, by Gideon Sundback, who was employed by the Automatic Hook and Eye Company. This model was named Talon Slide Fastener. It was used by the US army during the First World War. In 1923, B. F. Goodrich Company adapted the product. They renamed it the zipper, which later came to be known as ‘zip’.



Picture credit: google


When did the history of safety pins and buttons begin?


               The first safety pins were made in Greece and Italy during the 2nd millennium BC, by doubling a straight bronze pin, and connecting one end to the other. During the early days, the Romans used safety pins as brooches for fastening their cloaks and robes.



               It was in 1849 that the American inventor Walter Hunt introduced the modern day safety pins. However, his invention was accidental. After being issued a US patent, Hunt sold the patent to W. R. Grace and Company for $400.



               Coming to buttons, from the 3rd millennium BC onwards, they were made from wood, bone, and shell in the Indus Valley civilization. Back then, buttons were used for decorative purposes. Hand-made from precious metals, glass, or even gems, buttons became symbols of rank and wealth.



               It was during the 18th century that buttons were mass produced, using steel.



Picture credit: google


Why is it said that the introduction of synthetic fibres was a turning point in the history of fabrics?


               It was the British inventor Joseph Swan who produced the first man-made silk in 1883. The first artificial silk or rayon manufacturing, factory was founded by Hilaire de Chardonnet in 890. However, his manufacturing process was unsafe. A safer viscose process of making rayon was patented by C. S. Cross in 1892.



               Wallace Carothers, a chemist from the American chemical company DL Pont, developed the very first all-synthetic fibre. In 938, the company chose the name nylon for the product.



               Though nylon was used to make toothbrushes in the early days, the principles used in the making of nylon were soon adapted to create other synthetic fibres.



               Polyester was discoverer it 1941 by the British chemists James Dickson and Rex Whinfield, Later, many synthetic fibres with better qualities were made, Lycra is the best example, marketed by Du Pont in 1959.



Picture credit: google



 


From when did Man begin to use cotton?


               The oldest cotton balls were found in the caves of Mexico by some scientists. Those cotton balls were proven to be more than 7,000 years old. From 3000 BC onwards cotton had been grown, spun, and woven into fabric in the Indus River Valley in modern-day Pakistan. At about the same time, natives of Egypt’s Nile valley were making and wearing cotton clothing.



               Around 800 AD, Arabs introduced cotton clothes in Europe. Columbus found cotton growing in the Bahamas Islands in 1492, during his voyage. Varieties of coloured cotton produced in India were imported by the British from 1612. It was in 1730 that cotton was first spun by machinery in England. The industrial revolution in England, and the invention of the cotton gin in the US, gave a push to cotton production all over the world.



               Cotton was expensive in the early days due to its rarity, but the mechanization of cotton trade made it less expensive than wool by the 19th century.



Picture credit: google


From which time period did silk become a popular textile?


               It is certain that it was the Chinese who discovered silk. The tale about the origin of silk goes like this - the mythical Chinese emperor Huang Ti once asked his wife Xi Lingshi to see what was eating the leaves of the mulberry trees in the palace garden. She saw a silkworm cocoon, which accidentally fell into hot water. When she picked it up, and pulled it out, she realized that it turned into a thin soft thread.



               Around 3000 BC, the Chinese found that a silkworm could wrap itself in a cocoon made from a single, continuous silk filament some 600-900 m long. The Chinese were very secretive about this valuable commodity they had discovered themselves.



               Silk was introduced in the Mediterranean only around 500 BC. East and West were linked by trade. The route along which the material was exported was known as the Silk Road. By 206 BC, Chinese silk was being exported to the Middle East. The European silk industry began functioning around AD 552, when two Persians smuggled mulberry seeds and silkworm eggs out of Persia, and passed it into the Byzantine Empire.



Picture credit: google


Which was the first textile in the world?


 



               The oldest fabric discovered was a piece of linen dating from around 6500 BC. It was found inside a cave in the Judean Desert, preserved by the dry air. Linen is made from fibrous flax plants. Ancient Egyptians collected dried and bundled flax plants from the banks of the Nile River.



               The process of making the fabric was lengthy. First, the seeds were removed before the plants were soaked in water. Later, they would be beaten, washed, spun, and woven. To bleach their linen, Egyptians used sunlight. The natural state of the fabric is a dull grey-brown. White linen was considered a symbol of purity for the Egyptians, and later for the Romans.



Picture credit: google


Where did canned food originate?


               Many years before pasteurisation was discovered, the French inventor Nicolas Appert found a method of sterilizing foods by keeping them in glass Jars and heating them. It was actually a form of pasteurization as he heated the food to kill bacteria in it.



               Appert’s jars were soon replaced by cans made out of tin plate. Peter Durand received the first patent for the idea of canned food. First it was introduced in the UK, and later in 1818 it was introduced in the US.



              Initially cans were completely sealed except for a small opening knob on the top. Before soldering the food was heated to boiling point. Then the cans were reheated. The earlier versions of cans were not safe at that time. However, canning food was cheap and convenient. It gained popularity very easily.



Picture credit: google


At what point in time did dried and salted food come into being?


               Even primitive cave men used to eat dried meat. They hung mammoth carcasses to dry in the wind, and then took them inside for cool storage. Syrians, Iranians, and Palestinians started using dried cereals, figs, and grapes by 8000 BC.



               It was during the 3rd millennium BC that salt was first used to preserve game birds and fish in the Nile valley. During the Iron Age itself, Britons started salting their foods in order to preserve them during the intense winter.



               A special brine of salt was made and used by the Egyptians to pickle meat. Sauerkraut, made by fermenting shredded cabbage, was the first form of pickle in Europe. However, sauerkraut lost its demand in Europe gradually. Later, the Chinese introduced the famous pickled cabbage called kimchi.



Picture credit: google


Why is it said that the history of chocolate dates back to the Mayan period?


               The cultivation of the cocoa tree began over 3,000 years ago by the Mayan, Toltec, and Aztec people. They were experts in making ceremonial beverages using cocoa beans. They also used the cocoa bean as currency. The Mayans considered chocolate to be the food of the gods.



               In Europe Spain was the first country to produce chocolate. However, at that time chocolate was enjoyed as a beverage. Chocolates in solid form were first made by Italian and French confectioners. Later, Italians started making them into rolls and slices. In 1819, Francois-Louis Cailler became the first person to produce chocolates in a factory.



               It was in 1876 that the first white chocolate was made by Daniel Peter of Switzerland. He added dried milk to make milk chocolate. Later, many varieties of chocolates were made all over the world.



Picture credit: google


When did coffee become a popular beverage?


               Coffee as a beverage was quite popular among the Arabs during the 15th century. However, it is believed that coffee was first introduced in Yemen, during the 10th century.



               The ancient Ethiopians used to carry balls made of crushed coffee beans and fat during long journeys. It was only in 1644 that coffee became popular in parts of Europe, beginning with France. Britain’s first coffee-house, The Angel, opened in Oxford in 1650.



               Originally, coffee of the best quality came from Yemen’s Mocha and Aden regions. However, in the early 17th century, plants were introduced from there into the Dutch colony of Java in Indonesia, and into French colonies in the Indian Ocean.



               During the 18th century, coffee arrived in the Americas. The Arabs were exceptionally keen on coffee making. They mixed coffee and water, heated several times to boiling point, and left the ground beans to settle before drinking. This made the coffee taste richer. It was in France, during the 18th century, that the first proper coffee making utensil was developed. It was a two sectioned device, which could separate the ground beans and hot water, to produce a smoother drink.



               Later, the device became popularly known as cafeteria. In 1806, Count Rumford devised the true coffee percolator.



Picture credit: google