Polarized sunglasses: who invented them?

Polarized sunglasses, like many of the great inventions, are used by many of us without a second thought. But have you ever stopped to think about where do polarized sunglasses come from? Someone had to invent them.

In fact, we owe the creation of polarized sunglasses to four men. In the 1750s, James Ayscough experimented with the use of tinted glass to correct vision problems.

Many scientists of the time were studying the properties of light and color. In 1808, Etienne-Louis Malus, a French physicist and mathematician, discovered that light waves from the sun, which generally vibrate in all directions, can line up in one direction when reflected off something, such as water. According to Malus’s law, the intensity of light transmitted through a polarizing filter depends on the angle of the filter in relation to the light.

While Malus’s law is important in the study of optics, it fell to Scottish physicist, astronomer, and inventor Sir David Brewster to discover the angle at which light with a particular polarization can be transmitted through a surface without reflection. This he did in the year 1815. The angle, called the Brewster angle or polarization angle, is critical in the invention of polarized sunglasses.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the experiments continued. People started wearing yellow or brown sunglasses to counteract sensitivity to light. People realized that color had something to do with polarization. Optical company Bausch & Lomb began producing dark green glass to protect US Army Air Corps pilots from glare at high altitudes.

However, it wasn’t until 1936 that Edwin H. Land, an American inventor, created a polarizing light filter that was lightweight and inexpensive enough to use in sunglasses. He later created the Polaroid Corporation and developed many inventions, including the Land camera, which allowed amateur photographers to see their images unfold instantly.

Land’s invention was quickly used in sunglasses produced by Ray-Ban, a unit of Bausch & Lomb. Ray-Ban also created the distinctive “aviator” frame that protected a pilot’s eyes when repeatedly looking at their instrument panel. Army pilots received these glasses for free, and as their popularity grew, Ray Ban soon began selling them to the public. The polarized sunglasses helped the pilots to see and complete their missions safely. His ultra-modern and effective sunglasses added to the mystique of the pilots and soon everyone wanted them to imitate their heroes.

Polarized sunglasses are a fashion trend that continues to serve a useful purpose.