The very first umbrellas were actually parasols, designed to shade people, such as pharaohs, from the sun. It is unknown whether that Chinese or the Egyptians first used them. The Roman women were the first to oil their parasols to keep the rain as well as the sun off. In the 1700’s European women began using wood and oilcloth parasols to keep their delicate complexions as unblemished as possible. The steel-ribbed umbrella was invented in 1852 by Samuel Fox, making them much easier to use.