Umbrella Fun sketch by Meera Rao
As I was getting ready to post this sketch of my granddaughter in her brand new rain gear, I began wondering if the umbrella was first invented by whoever to protect against the sun or the rain as I used the umbrella often this summer when I was in India to shield me from sun as well as rain.
Of course, I googled the history of umbrellas. According to that article: "The origins of the umbrella are most probably China in 11th century B.C. although ancient sculptures have been found in Nineveh, Persepolis and Thebes (Egypt) depicting the use of umbrellas. There is also evidence of Umbrellas or Parasols being used at the same period in India. I don't think anyone really knows whether it was first used to hide from the heat or the rain, but I found lots of interesting information about them. Do click on the colored links and enjoy the history :)
