The Nutty Umbrella

The first recorded description of umbrellas was in 1200 BC. in Egypt. They were regarded as magical and were only enjoyed by royalty. The canopy of the sky was believed to be formed by the body of the celestial goddess Nut. Spanning the earth as a vast umbrella she touched the ground only with her toes and fingertips. Her star-studdedbelly created the night sky. All the royal umbrellas became known as earthly embodiments of the lovely Nut. The shade symbolized the king's protection by the goddess. The first umbrellas were used only for shade, naturally , not much rain the dessert. 

The Greeks and Romans borrowed it up from the Egyptians but relegated its use to women (women are the next best thing to royalty) TheEnglish word "umbrella" comes from the Latin word umbra meaning "shade." It was during these Roman times that the paper parasol really became popular. The women began to oil the paper to repel water. They were a nuisance however, for on rainy days a multitude of unfolded umbrellas blocked the view as roman crowds cheered the lions as they devouredmartyred Christians. 

The modern umbrella is traced to a British nut , Jonas Hanway, who after many years of public ridicule, laughter and being called sissy, continued onproudly for many years, until the umbrella began to catch on. Apparently everyonerealized that getting caught in the rain for 18th century gentlemen required the immediate hailing of a coach and an expenditure of a small sum of money. Carrying an umbrella had helped to save the tight British wads of the time.Eventually, the umbrellas became fashionable and are still in wide use today.