Friday, June 12, 2009

Ray Ban

Ray-Ban is a manufacturer of sunglasses, founded in 1937[1] by Bausch & Lomb. They were introduced for the United States Army Air Corps[2]. In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold the brand to the Italian Luxottica Group for a reported 1.2 billion dollars[3].
Ray-Bans were initially created in 1937. Some years ealier, Lieutenant John MacCready had returned from a balloon flying adventure and complained that the sun had done permanent damage to his eyes. He contacted Bausch & Lomb asking them to create a type of sunglasses that would not only provide superb protection, but also look elegant. On May 7, 1937, Bausch & Lomb officially took out the patent[3]. The prototype, known as Anti-Glare, consisted of an extremely light frame weighing 150 grams. They were made of gold-plated metal with two green lenses made of mineral glass to filter out infrared and ultraviolet rays. Pilots in the United States Army Air Corps immediately adopted the sunglasses[3]. The Ray-Ban Aviator became a well-known style of sunglasses when General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the Philippines in World War II, and photographers snapped several pictures of him wearing them.[3]

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