Who Invented Goggles?
The Eskimos are credited with inventing goggles, carving them out of caribou antler, wood or shell to protect them from snow blindness. They were held to the head with a string made out of caribou sinew. Over the centuries, different kinds of goggles have been developed for use in a variety of applications.
Description
Goggles are also known as safety glasses because they serve as protective eye wear. They cover the eye and surrounding areas to prevent anything from hitting or touching the eyes. This includes water, chemicals and various particles.
Night Vision Goggles
The U.S. Army invented night vision goggles (NVG) during World War II (1939 to 1945) and the Korean War (1950 to 1953). The devices are useful for enemy lookouts at night, when there might not be enough light to identify figures with the naked eye. They are also used for night combat. Night vision goggles were in wide use by the time of the Vietnam War (1959 to 1975).
Lab and Research Goggles
Goggles for laboratory work and research are not only used for protection from chemicals and other harmful agents, but also for specialized applications. A good example is the red adaptation goggles, which were created to enable physicians to adapt their eyes to view the light produced by screens during fluoroscopic procedures. Wihlem Trendleenburg invented the red adaptation goggles in 1916.
Sports Goggles
Swimming goggles can be traced to as early as the 14th century, when Middle Eastern texts of the day included descriptions of pearl divers using eyewear made out of tortoise shells. Goggles were introduced to competitive swimming in the 1960s, and they have been ubiquitous in the sport ever since. Goggles are used in other sports such as basketball, where NBA stars such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made it a trademark.
Kroop's Goggles
A notable goggles manufacturing company is Kroop's Goggles. Responding to a jockey's discomfort with heavy, bulky eyewear, a boot maker by the name of Israel Kroop began to make small, lightweight goggles and opened Kroop's Goggles in 1947. By the 1950s, the eyewear was not only in demand by jockeys, but also in other sports and activities such as skydiving and bicycling.
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