"She counted the umbrellas. There were twelve."

(Thank you, Madge. You're my favorite Librarian right now!)

For no reason at all, I found myself wondering about the hitory of umbrellas a few minutes ago. There was no rain, and no one carrying one as a parasol, I just thought of how ingeneous they are, and wanted to know who deserves all of the credit. As usual, the Chinese are to thank. As long as 2,400 years ago they were reaping the benefits of an umbrella's lofty canopy. Lucky.

I love Wikipedia, so go check out their entry to fins out more like:
The Umbrella in Antiquity!
The Unbrella in Church!
The Umbrella as a Weapon!

And more exciting events in the umbrella's life.