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Here is a little article I came across that I thought y'all might like. Some interesting facts about chairs...

You use them every day, yet you rarely allot them any type of attention. Chairs have been around for thousands of years and they come in various sizes, shapes and designs. They make our lives easier and our homes more beautiful. If you are thinking of buying brand new chairs for your house in the future, it wouldn’t be bad for you if you know the following interesting facts about chairs, just to remember yourself how important these furniture items are.

 Chairs started to be popular only in the 16th century

For hundreds and even thousands of years, people used to sit on various other items such as stones or benches made from different materials like wood. Chairs were a rarity and they only became very popular in the 16th century.

The oldest chair is almost 5000 years old

The Egyptians had some sort of ceremonial chairs used only during big events and celebrations and those furniture items were dated almost 5000 years old. Obviously, the only ones lucky enough to sit on those ancient chairs were the pharaohs and other important people.

The word “chair” comes from a Latin word

The word “cathedra” in Latin means something like “sit” and “down”. The today’s word “chair” was derived from the Latin word “cathedra” and it is widely used nowadays in order to describe a piece of furniture used by everyone to actually “sit down”.

You will never find chairs in Bible

The word “chair” is not mentioned a single time in the Bible. However, Shakespeare mentioned something about chairs eight times in the Henry VI Part 3 only.

The electric chair was invented in 1889

Thomas Edison, the genius who gave us the lighting bulb we still use today, invented the electric chair back in the days, in 1889. The purpose of this invention was to present the dangers associated with electric current.

Back in the days, chairs were only used by rich and powerful people

Today everyone has at least 2 or 3 chairs in his house, but back in the days things were very different. Even some rudimentary types of chairs were only used by rich people and those who had power and influence. The common people and the poor ones used to sit directly on the ground or in some cases, on stools.

The office chair was actually invented by Charles Darwin

In the 1800s, Charles Darwin had the brilliant idea to add a couple of wheels to his preferred chair in the laboratory in order to move freely and have access to his tools and papers easier. This was basically the earliest office chair ever created.

The office chair became extremely popular thanks to Otto von Bismarck

Step by step, everyone started to like the idea of having a wheeled chair and Otto von Bismarck was the one who popularized the office chair throughout the entire German Parliament.

Today’s office chairs are designed with comfort in mind

Nowadays, office chairs are among the most comfortable ones on the market and there is a good reason for this. A comfortable chair will improve the focus and concentration of an employee as well as making him work more hours every month. Additionally, office chairs offer good spinal support and as a result, the employees are less likely to suffer from back or neck pain when working for many hours in their offices.

You can become drastically out of shape if you sit on a chair for too long

However, it is also a well-known fact that sitting too much on a chair is not good for one’s health. That happens because the blood circulation in the body can be affected and some muscles can become sore and painful. Therefore, experts recommend sitting up from the chair for at least 10 minutes every hour and moving the body in order to prevent more serious health problems.

Back in the days, cushions were used on the majority of chairs

A long time ago, chairs weren’t as comfortable as the ones we use today. In fact, back in the days most chairs were made from wood, stone or other types of hard materials. Therefore, everyone had to use cushions in order to have a more comfortable stay on their chairs. Additionally, the cushion pads were colored in various ways and they were used with decorative purposes.

Chairs became more beautiful with the passing of time

In the Victorian era, lacquer-finished chairs were present in the houses of the richest people from various parts of the world. Additionally, these chairs featured a plethora of ornaments and oriental motifs.

And now, here we are in 2017 sitting in our fancy office chairs made with a variety of modern materials, designed and engineered for ergonomic comfort.  My how things have changed...

Todd

EOD Furniture Guy/Blogger