āļ§ัāļ™āļˆัāļ™āļ—āļĢ์āļ—ี่ 17 āļุāļĄāļ āļēāļžัāļ™āļ˜์ āļž.āļĻ. 2568

Sunglasses used to be for something else entirely ðŸ•ķ️

Make every day more interesting. Each day a surprising fact opens a world of fascinating information for you to explore. Did you know that….?

February 17, 2025

Original photo by Vlad Teodor/ Shutterstock

Some of the earliest sunglasses were used by judges in court to hide their facial expressions.

Long before they became fashionable accessories for sunny days, some of the earliest sunglasses served a far different purpose: In Chinese courtrooms, judges used dark-lensed glasses to hide their facial expressions. Eyeglasses became popular in Chinese society during the late 13th century and early 14th century, and around the same period, rudimentary sunglasses featuring dark lenses made from smoky quartz were invented. While they protected against glare, they were also intended to provide judges with an air of impartiality during trials by obscuring their eyes — and thus their emotional responses.

It wasn't until the 18th century that an early precursor to modern sunglasses, explicitly designed for dealing with sun and glare, became popular in Europe. "Goldoni's eyeglasses" were developed circa 1700 in Venice, Italy, and were nicknamed for playwright Carlo Goldoni, who fashionably wore a pair. These green-tinted spectacles were primarily worn by Venetian gondoliers as well as high-society women and children in an effort to shield their eyes from the glare that bounced off the canal water. In 1752, British optician James Ayscough unveiled a new invention to serve a similar purpose: blue-tinted glasses that he believed protected eyes against harmful light better than white glass.

Together with

Hands Down One of the Best 0% Interest Credit Cards

If you have outstanding credit card debt, getting a new 0% intro APR credit card could help ease the pressure while you pay down your balances. FinanceBuzz's credit card experts identified top credit cards that are perfect for anyone looking to pay down debt and not add to it. Click through to see what all the hype is about.

Learn More

Thank you for supporting our sponsors. They help keep Interesting Facts free.

Only one person served as both U.S. president and Supreme Court judge.

A pair of sunglasses belonging to __ once sold for $159,900 at auction.

Numbers Don't Lie

Judy Sheindlin's annual salary as host of TV's "Judge Judy"

$47 million

Home runs hit by Aaron Judge in 2022 (an American League record)

62

Age of the oldest known serving judge (Albert R. Alexander)

105

Year the comic book character Judge Dredd debuted

1977

Advertisers help keep Interesting Facts free

Wooden "sunglasses" date back to the first century CE.

While traditional sunglasses featuring glass lenses and metal frames are a more modern invention, the world's first known sunglasses were made of wood. Around 2,000 years ago, ancient Siberians and Inuits in the North American Arctic region donned these wooden goggles to protect from snow blindness — a painful condition caused by UV rays reflecting off the snow. These simple shades featured a piece of wood carved to fit around the eyes and tied around the head using twine. Thin slits were carved directly above each eye, allowing the wearer to maintain their vision while limiting sun exposure. In addition to wood, these devices were also made from bone or walrus ivory. Archaeological digs have uncovered pristine examples of these early sunglasses from regions throughout Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Russia.

Today's edition of Interesting Facts was written by Bennett Kleinman and edited by Brooke Robinson.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

6 Amazing Facts About Human Vision

Read More

Advertisers help keep Interesting Facts free

We love to collaborate. To learn more about our sponsorship opportunities, please connect with us here.
1550 Larimer Street, Suite 431, Denver, CO 80202

āđ„āļĄ่āļĄีāļ„āļ§āļēāļĄāļ„ิāļ”āđ€āļŦ็āļ™: