In honor of National Sunglasses Day, which occurred this weekend, we present FactSlaps, the Ray Ban remix. And don’t forget to check out the link below for a word from our sponsored (though we don’t carry shades…yet).

• The first sunglasses were invented sometime in 12th century China as a crude slab of smoked quartz held against the face to block sunlight. These darkened lenses, made only for the very wealthy, were not vision-corrected, nor did they protect against harmful UV rays. They were also worn by judges in Chinese courts to conceal their facial expressions while questioning witnesses.
• In 1929, Sam Foster sold the first pair of sunglasses, Foster Grants, at the Woolworth on Atlantic City Boardwalk. He started the Foster Grant Company in 1919 to make combs.
• In 1936, Edwin H. Land combined his lens making skills with his patented Polaroid filter, creating the first polarized “sunnies.”
• With the impending World War II in 1936, Ray-Ban designed anti-glare aviator style sunglasses, using polarized lens technology created by Edwin H. Land, founder of the Polaroid Corporation. They also developed a slightly drooping frame perimeter to maximally shield an aviator’s eyes, which repeatedly glanced downward toward a plane’s instrument panel. Fliers were issued the glasses at no charge, and the public in 1937 was able to purchase the model that banned the sun’s rays as Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses.
• Ray-Ban sold 10 million units worldwide in 1998. The best-known model, the Wayfarer, has been available since 1953 and is reported to be the best-selling style in history. It was made famous by many celebrities including the Blues Brothers.
• With more than 1,000 and counting, Elton John is rumored to have the largest personal collection of sunshades.
• Most characters from the movie The Matrix wore sunglasses. Interestingly, all of the protagonists wear rounded lenses, while the antagonists wear rectangular lenses.

Shameless self-promotion here.