Here is a wonderful day, in my opinion. We are paying tribute to something that many of us take for granted. When the sun comes out and everything is too bright to see clearly, you reach for your trusty sunglasses. The interesting thing about sunglasses is that they are not only functional, they have become a fashion trend. It seems, these days, the bigger the sunglasses the more fashionable. Personally, I wear a John Lennon-style pair of sunglasses. Yes, if there's one thing I love it's round glasses. But, let's not get off topic. In honor of National Sunglasses Day, I have found some interesting facts about sunglasses. So, today, as you celebrate Sunglasses Day, you can keep these interesting facts about sunglasses in the back of your mind.

Here are some interesting facts I found about shades. All of these facts came from Wikipedia.com.

  • In the early 20th century they were also known as sun cheaters (cheaters being an American slang term for glasses).
  • Healthcare professionals recommend eye protection whenever the sun comes out to protect the eyes from ultraviolet radiation (UV) and blue light, which can cause several serious eye problems.
  • In prehistoric and historic time, Inuit peoples wore flattened walrus ivory "glasses," looking through narrow slits to block harmful reflected rays of the sun.
  • James Ayscough began experimenting with tinted lenses in spectacles in the mid-18th century, around 1752. These were not "sunglasses" as that term is now used; Ayscough believed blue- or green-tinted glass could correct for specific vision impairments. Protection from the Sun's rays was not a concern for him.
  • Polarised sunglasses first became available in 1936, when Edwin H. Land began experimenting with making lenses with his patented Polaroid filter.

In rock music, there are a few songs about sunglasses that come to mind. There's ZZ Top's "Cheap Sunglasses" and Corey Hart's "Sunglasses at Night". But, when I thought about country songs dedicated solely to sunglasses, I couldn't think of anything other than "Rose Colored Glasses" by John Conlee. And, even the John Conlee song isn't really about sunglasses. So, I had to think a little bit harder, and I remembered Reba. Do you remember Reba's "Fancy" music video? At the beginning of the video, she is wearing a big pair of sunglasses. So, in honor of Sunglasses Day, here is Reba McEntire wearing a pair of sunglasses.

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