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When it's raining to shading you from the heat and harmful rays of the sun on a bright, beautiful summer day, from keeping you nice and dry, umbrellas prove extremely useful to us in our modern times. As a way to be protected against the scorching heat of the sun, the use of umbrellas can be traced all the way back to the ancient city of Nineveh where it was first used by the king. At that time, the monarch was a bald man and needed the extra protection against the sun's rays. He was the only one who was allowed to carry an umbrella in the entire country.

Records of people using umbrellas for similar purposes can also be found in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, China, India, and even among the Aztecs in North America. In Greece and Rome, umbrellas were an important fashion accessory among the ladies, and often effeminate men of the elite classes. Umbrellas made their first appearance in China in 21 A.D.

It is believed that the umbrella originated in China in banners and standards in the air, traditionally, thus, those of high ranks were most often associated with the use of umbrellas. There was even at least one occasion when the emperor went hunting accompanied by twenty-four umbrellas. The umbrella, eventually, made its way east to Japan through Korea and west to Persia, Europe, and the rest of the western world through the Silk Road. In France and England, everyone in the upper classes were using umbrellas, fast forward a bit to the 17th century.

By the 18th century, the umbrella had found its way into famous literature in Robinson Crusoe when the main character makes an umbrella of his own to imitate ones he had often seen used in Brazil. He constructs it out of animal skins with the fur facing outward to keep out of the rain. Even if there were a lot of references to umbrellas throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the modern umbrella did not get very famous until the early 20th century when Hans Haupt released his pocket umbrella on the market in 1928. It continued to grow in popularity when Totes Incorporated patented the first 'working folded umbrella' in 1969.

Umbrellas are now in high demand throughout the world. There is also a high demand for patio umbrellas, especially in America though the handheld version is still the most popular. Tilting patio umbrellas are used to protect the user from the sun while still being able to enjoy the outdoors. A tilting patio umbrella is always the best addition to any outdoor patio set and that is one thing that is definite.