Glass has been around for a long time, but it’s only been a short time that glass has been affordable enough to install windows in every American home. Here’s the story on glass:
Glass is actually a natural occurrence! In rare cases, such as a meteorite crash or lightning strike, extreme heat has melted stone, forming a glass substance known as tektite. Most estimates date human glass-use back to 3,000 B.C., during the bronze age.
The first glassblowers lived in Syria in 100 B.C. Surprisingly, all glass was colored up until the 15th century A.D. in Venice. In 1675, an inventor named George Ravenscroft created the first clear, crystal glass by adding lead oxide.
During all of this time, however, glass was delicate, expensive, and difficult to make, meaning that it was impractical to have glass windows installed in the homes of the common man. That all changed in 1902, when sheet glass came along. Irving W. Colburn invented the glass drawing machine, making it easier to mass-produce glass for use in windows. Glass was still dangerous, however, because it shattered into large, sharp chunks under impact. Safety glass then changed everything.
Safety glass came along by accident! A French Scientist named Edouard Benedictus knocked a glass bottle off a shelf, but it didn’t break, prompting Benedictus to investigate further. It turned out that the bottle had earlier held cellulose nitrate, a kind of liquid plastic, which had coated the walls and reinforced the bottle so it didn’t break. Because of this discovery, we now have glass for our homes and cars that doesn’t shatter under impact.
In 1966, 3M came out with the first patented window film, making it possible to add an extra level of sophistication and practicality to the appearance of window glass through Utah window tinting.
The windows in your house are getting old. Your carpets are fading and you worry that your energy bills might start rising. So should you replace your windows? Probably not. Keeping those ancient windows and protecting them with a window tint can actually preserve your home better and save you a great deal of money in the long run. Here’s how: