It is said the ancient world’s nobility would distinguish themselves from the hoi polloi by shading themselves from the sun. They would remain fair-skinned, while the common laborers tanned under the sun. That was the attitude the London aristocrat, traveler and philanthropist Jonas Honway brought with his umbrella, as he toted one above his head during the frequent London rainstorms. The device came from Italy, where it was used first by the Pope, and then by fashionable women who wanted an “ombrello” – a little shade. That, along with one other helpful modification, launched the spread of umbrellas everywhere.

On this day, May 4, in 1715, the Frenchman Jean Marius developed the first practical and chic — and most importantly folding — umbrella.

Mariu’s invention touched off a minor cultural revolution in Paris. No longer did the city’s fashionable crowd have to spend rainy days indoors. They strolled through the streets, to the delight of shopowners, with their “pocket umbrellas“ oblivious to the rain. Their more frequent interactions helped to cement Paris’ legacy as the fashion capitol of the world.