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It's UMBRELLA DAY!
 
And here's some good advice about umbrellas. ~S~
"Pennies From Heaven"
Every time it rains, it rains Pennies from Heaven,
Don't you know each cloud contains Pennies from Heaven?
You'll find your fortune falling all over town,
So be sure that your umbrella is upside down!
Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers;
If you want the things you love, you must have showers.
So when you hear it thunder, don't run under a tree --
'Cause there'll be Pennies from Heaven for you and me.
("Pennies from Heaven" with words by John Burke and music by Arthur Johnston is from 1936. Bing Crosby sung that melody in the picture "Pennies from Heaven" from Paramount Pictures 1938, when Bing met Louis Armstrong for the first time.)
And even MORE good "umbrella advice"!
"Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella"
Words & Music by Irving Kahal, Francis Wheeler & Sammy Fain, 1928
Recorded by Perry Como, 1959
Oh, let a smile be your umbrella
On a rainy, rainy day;
And if your sweetie cries, just tell her
That a smile will always pay.
Whenever skies are grey,
Don't worry or fret --
A smile will bring sunshine
And you'll never get wet.
So let a smile be your umbrella
On a rainy, rainy day.
A brief history of the umbrella,
courtesy of Mary Bellis at HomeSchooling.com
The basic umbrella was invented over four thousand years ago. We have seen evidence of umbrellas in the ancient art and artifacts of Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and China.
These ancient umbrellas or parasols, were first designed to provide shade from the sun. The Chinese were the first to waterproof their umbrellas for use as rain protection. They waxed and lacquered their paper parasols in order to use them for rain.
The word "umbrella" comes from the Latin root word "umbra", meaning shade or shadow. Starting in the 16th century umbrella became popular to the western world, especially in the rainy weather of northern Europe. At first it was considered only an accessory suitable for women. Then the Persian traveler and writer, Jonas Hanway (1712-86), carried and used an umbrella publicly in England for thirty years, and he popularized umbrella use among men. English gentleman often referred to their umbrellas as a "Hanway."
The first all umbrella shop was called "James Smith and Sons". The shop opened in 1830, and is still located at 53 New Oxford St., in London, England.
The early European umbrellas were made of wood or whalebone and covered with alpaca or oiled canvas. The artisans made the curved handles for the umbrellas out of hard woods like ebony, and were well paid for their efforts.
In 1852, Samuel Fox invented the steel ribbed umbrella design. Fox also founded the "English Steels Company", and claimed to have invented the steel ribbed umbrella as a way of using up stocks of farthingale stays, steel stays used in women's corsets.
After that, compact collapsible umbrellas were the next major technical innovation in umbrella manufacture, over a century later.
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