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Oldest collapsible parasol -

The oldest extant example of apparent collapsible parasols appears in the archaeological record around 2310 BCE, showing Sargon of Akkad. A relief was carved on a stone slab showing Sargon leading a procession followed by an attendant clutching a royal umbrella and a procession of dignitaries holding weapons. Sargon was the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire.

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Mesopotamia -

Limestone relief from the Palace of Sennacherib, Nineveh, 700-692 BCE. The King of Assyria is shown in his chariot pulled by men. An attendant holds an umbrella over the king's head while armed guards follow the chariot.

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Antiquity -

In ancient Greece the parasol (skiadeion) was an indispensable accessory to a lady of fashion in the late 5th century BCE. There are also frequent references to the umbrella in the Roman Classics; it was considered an honor among maid-servants to bear it over their mistresses.

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Persia -

In Persia (present-day Iran), the parasol is repeatedly found in the carved work of Persepolis. Pictured is a relief of the Persian king Xerxes I (485-465 BCE) at the ancient site near Shiraz.

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Ancient India -

The 'Mahabharata,' an epic Sanskrit poem of ancient India, relates a legend where an umbrella is requested by a skilled bowman for protection against the hot sun. The text was written during the early Gupta period, around 320 CE.

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Book of Han -

The 'Book of Han' is a history of China completed in 111 CE. It contains a reference to a collapsible umbrella, mentioning its usage in the year 21 CE.

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The Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella -

The Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella is considered the most sacred and ancient of the royal regalia of Thailand. Pictured is an example of such an umbrella being held by an officer during the coronation of King Rama X. 

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17th century -

Umbrellas and parasols were incorporated into 17th-century art. Pictured is Jan Erasmus Quellinus's 'Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.' 

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'Robinson Crusoe' -

In Daniel Defoe's novel 'Robinson Crusoe,' published in 1719, Crusoe constructs his own umbrella from animal skins in imitation of those that he had seen used in Brazil.

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Jonas Hanway (1712–1786) -

The use of the umbrella or parasol was uncommon in England during the early half of the eighteenth century. Intriguingly, however, Jonas Hanway, the founder of the Magdalen Hospital, is believed to be the first male Londoner to carry an umbrella (following women who had started using umbrellas from the mid-1700s).

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Samuel Fox (1815–1887) -

British industrialist and businessman Samuel Fox is credited with inventing the steel-ribbed umbrella in 1852. By the end of the 19th century, silk was being replaced by cotton. By the 20th century, plastic film and nylon was used worldwide by umbrella manufacturers.

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Propaganda use -

The early 20th century saw the umbrella's design being put to effective propaganda use, as depicted in this First World War-era poster featuring a beleaguered Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany being "rained" upon by the international community because of his tactless public statements and reckless foreign policy that eventually plunged his country into the Great War.

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Umbrellas and advertising -

As well as propaganda use, umbrellas also became a means of highlighting a cause or promoting a product. Pictured are Suffragettes in England in 1914 doing both, by holding white sunshades advertising their newspaper Suffragette.

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Royal protection -

Queen Elizabeth II makes her way underneath a huge umbrella to watch an Ashanti chiefs ceremony in Ghana during a royal visit in 1960. The exact date as to when the Ashanti begun using umbrellas is uncertain. However, in the 1800s, the Amanhene (senior chiefs) were using large multicolored umbrellas like the one shielding the British monarch.

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The umbrella as art -

Belgian artist René Magritte used Surrealist imagery to breathe new life into everyday objects painted out of context, such as this umbrella and glass of water, titled "Les Vacances de Hegel," created in 1958.

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Umbrella installation -

An installation entitled "Umbrella Sky Project" created by Portuguese artist Patricia Cunha and composed of 800 suspended colorful umbrellas unveiled in Paris, France.

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The umbrella as sculpture -

Pictured: the landmark sculpture "Umbrellas" by George Zongolopoulos (1903–2004), located in Thessaloniki, Greece.

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The umbrella on screen -

In Alfred Hitchcock's 'Foreign Correspondent' (1940), John Jones (Joel McCrea) chases a killer across a rainy city square in Holland and through a sea of umbrellas as the assassin tries to escape justice.

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'Singin' in the Rain' (1952) -

Gene Kelly's umbrella is an essential prop in one of the most celebrated music and dance sequences in cinema history.

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'Mary Poppins' (1964) -

Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) puts her brolly to good use as she flies over London's rooftops in an iconic scene from this much-loved musical fantasy film.

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'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' (1964) -

An umbrella boutique in the coastal town of Cherbourg in Normandy, France is the setting for this delightful romantic musical, known as 'Les Parapluies de Cherbourg' in French and starring Catherine Deneuve.

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'The Avengers' (1961–1969) -

The popular British espionage TV series 'The Avengers' featured Patrick Macnee as John Steed, who was never without his bowler hat and rolled up brolly.

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The umbrella in music -

Rihanna's 'Umbrella' received critical acclaim from music critics when it was released in 2007. A worldwide hit, the song refers to a romantic and platonic relationship and the strength of that relationship.

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The umbrella as a fashion accessory -

It doesn't have to be sunny or raining for an umbrella to find its place in celebrity culture. Pictured is Lady Gaga attending the 2019 Met Gala in New York.

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Fashion statement -

An umbrella's print design is often purposely created to match wardrobe, and is perceived as a fashion statement as much as a practical accessory.

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Nature's umbrella -

In the highlands of Mindanao in the Philippines, the large fronds of Dipteris conjugata, a species of fern, are used as an umbrella by locals.

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Umbrellas in architecture -

The design of the umbrella lends itself to use in numerous architectural projects. One of the most striking examples of this is the "Shading Project" for the piazza of the Holy Prophet's Mosque in Madina, Saudi Arabia, where 250 retractable umbrellas were placed in groups of two to 15 units to provide shade for 300,000 pilgrims.

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The umbrella as a deadly weapon -

In September 1978, Bulgarian dissident writer Georgi Markov felt a sharp pain on the back of his leg as he was walking across Waterloo Bridge in London. He looked behind him and saw a man picking up an umbrella off the ground and walking away. Four days later Markov was dead, poisoned by a ricin-filled pellet fired into his leg from that same umbrella and wielded by an assassin allegedly working for the Bulgarian Secret Service.

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An umbrella that makes 'senz' -

The Senz umbrella, developed in the Netherlands, can withstand "wind force 10" (winds of up to 100 km/h (70 mp/h) and won't turn inside-out like a regular umbrella. It's seen here being tested in Rotterdam using a high-powered fan.

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Cocktail umbrella -

No cocktail is complete without a cocktail umbrella, a small paper parasol especially associated with tropical drinks. Donn Beach (1907–1989), owner of the Hollywood-based restaurant and bar chain Don the Beachcomber, started the trend in 1932. Piña colada, anyone? 

See also: These German inventions upgrade your everyday life

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