Simon Mattacks
speaker
2,981 appearances
17 recordings
3 series
first heard Dec 2024
last heard 13 Sep
Simon Mattacks’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 14 in all, peaking in Aug 2026 with 3.
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And how did it become an embodiment of luxury and the ultimate fashion accessory?
Tonight, we'll explore the umbrella's earliest origins and delve into design transformations and trends.
We'll also discover some interesting facts suggesting that our ancient ancestors were more advanced than we might think.
So just relax and let your mind drift as we explore a sleepy history of umbrellas.
There was once a man who lived by a winding river in ancient China.
He was a hardworking man, providing for his family, a talented carpenter and inventor, and he often worked outdoors.
Every day, he spent time devising new ideas and creating things that would make his neighbor's lives easier.
He invented saws for cutting firewood, and even locks to protect their possessions.
The man worked tirelessly to complete his many projects, and he would often return home at the end of each day, suffering from the effects of the sun or rain.
One day while working, he noticed a group of children playing.
They were shielding themselves from the rain with lotus leaves.
His wife, who was visiting him at work that day, suggested that he invent a head covering to shade himself and others from the elements.
Inspired, the man got to work immediately, making a bamboo frame and ribs.
He used cloth stretched across the top to create a canopy.
The invention was a huge success.
Everyone in the small riverside village wanted one.
News of the accessory spread to the higher echelons of society.
And later, as the idea reached other continents, it became known as the umbrella.
Some historians believe that the earliest umbrellas may have emerged in ancient China around 3500 BCE.
But there are several different legends and folk stories surrounding the umbrella's origins.
Showing 2101–2120 of 2,981 · page 106 of 150
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