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It wasn't until the 1600s that European women began to carry umbrellas, mostly as shade from the sun, that was invented in Europa. -
Sometime in the 1700s it became popular to carry wood and oilcloth models as protection from the rain. -
In 1750, in England, 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. -
The steel ribbed kind we see today was invented by Samuel fox in 1852. Since then, they have evolved. We now have umbrellas for the rain and sun. We use them on the beach, while playing golf, and on our patios and decks.