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3250 BCE
They start carrying
Historians are unsure where exactly umbrellas appeared. Some say Egypt while others say China. What is certain is that they've been around for a very long time. They weren't intended to protect us from the rain, however. -
The change (the men start carrying the umbrella like women)
An Englishman named Jonah Hanway decided to carry an umbrella everywhere he went. This was unheard of. Only women carried umbrellas. Because of this, he became the subject of much ridicule, but at least he was dry. Ignoring the snickers of those around him, Hanway carried his umbrella for 30 years. By the late 1700s however, it became more acceptable for men to carry "hanways." -
The steel ribbed
Samuel Fox invented the steel ribbed kind that we see today in England, because they were made of wood, umbrellas were not only expensive, they were difficult to operate. Since then, they have evolved.