From Arctic Survival to Hollywood Glamour: The 5,000-Year Journey to Your Sunglasses
The Original Shades Were Made From Bone
Five thousand years ago, somewhere in the frozen expanses of what we now call Alaska, an Inuit hunter faced a problem that would seem familiar to any modern beachgoer: blinding glare reflecting off endless white surfaces. But instead of reaching for a pair of Ray-Bans, this ancient innovator carved thin slits into a piece of walrus ivory, creating the world's first sunglasses.
These weren't fashion statements—they were survival tools. Snow blindness could mean death in the Arctic, where a temporarily blinded hunter might wander off course or miss crucial game. The ingenious solution of carved bone or ivory goggles with narrow horizontal slits allowed just enough light through for navigation while blocking the dangerous glare that could damage the eyes.
When Judges Wore Green Glasses
Fast-forward several millennia to 12th-century China, where judges began wearing flat panels of smoky quartz over their eyes during trials. This wasn't about sun protection—it was about poker faces. The tinted lenses concealed their expressions, preventing anyone from reading their reactions to testimony. Justice, quite literally, became blind.
Meanwhile, in 18th-century Europe, people with syphilis began wearing tinted spectacles to hide the light sensitivity that came with their condition. Blue and green lenses became associated with illness and shame—hardly the glamorous image we associate with sunglasses today.
The Boardwalk Breakthrough
By the 1920s, tinted lenses existed, but they were medical devices or oddities. Then came Sam Foster, a small-time entrepreneur who would accidentally launch a billion-dollar industry without making a fortune himself.
In 1929, Foster started selling sunglasses on the Atlantic City boardwalk under the brand name "Foster Grant." But here's the thing—he didn't invent them, and he barely promoted them. He simply recognized that beachgoers squinting in the bright seaside sun might pay ten cents for relief.
Photo: Atlantic City, via media.nox-agency.com
What Foster understood, perhaps instinctively, was timing. The 1920s had ushered in a new era of leisure culture. Americans were taking vacations, spending time outdoors, and—crucially—beginning to see a tan as fashionable rather than a sign of outdoor labor. The pale, sheltered look that had dominated Victorian beauty standards was giving way to a more active, sun-kissed ideal.
Hollywood Takes Notice
The real transformation happened when movie stars started wearing sunglasses off-screen. In the 1930s, actors began using them to maintain anonymity in public, but photographers kept catching them looking effortlessly cool. Suddenly, sunglasses weren't just about function—they were about mystique.
Greta Garbo made headlines for wearing dark glasses around Hollywood. Cary Grant was photographed in aviators. These weren't product placements or calculated marketing moves—they were practical choices that accidentally created a new fashion category.
Photo: Greta Garbo, via i.etsystatic.com
The War That Changed Everything
World War II turned sunglasses from a novelty into a necessity. Pilots needed serious eye protection at high altitudes, leading to the development of what we now call aviator sunglasses. Ray-Ban, working with the military, created the Anti-Glare glasses that would later become the iconic Ray-Ban Aviator.
When these pilots returned home as war heroes, they kept wearing their aviators. Suddenly, sunglasses weren't just for movie stars—they were for American heroes. The association with courage, adventure, and competence was cemented.
The Irony of Innovation
Here's the cruel twist in Sam Foster's story: he sold his Foster Grant company in 1930, just one year after founding it, for what seemed like good money at the time. He had no idea he was selling the rights to what would become a multi-billion-dollar industry.
Foster Grant went on to become synonymous with affordable sunglasses, launching the famous "Who's that behind those Foster Grants?" advertising campaign in the 1960s. The company Foster started with a ten-cent product on a boardwalk became a household name, but he wasn't around to see it.
From Function to Fashion Statement
Today's sunglasses bear little resemblance to those carved ivory slits or Foster's simple tinted lenses. Designer frames cost hundreds of dollars, and the global sunglasses market is worth over $140 billion annually. What started as Arctic survival gear has become one of fashion's most essential accessories.
The next time you slide on a pair of sunglasses, remember: you're participating in a tradition that stretches from Inuit hunters to Chinese judges to a Depression-era entrepreneur who saw an opportunity on a sunny boardwalk. That simple act of shielding your eyes connects you to five millennia of human ingenuity—even if the guy who brought them to America never got rich from the idea.