Least known facts about the History of Glass

Very little information is available on how the first glass was made in the human history. It is believed that glass-making was discovered at least 4000 years ago in Mesopotamia while scholars believe that the ability to make glass was developed over a long period.

Obsidian, a black volcanic glass was the very first form of glass known to Stone Age people.

Some archaeological evidences also prove that first true glass was made in Egypt, Mesopotamia or north Syria. It is also known that first glass like structure or beads were also created, although accidentally as a by-product of metal during the process of faience or glazing.

Glass making was brought to a halt when glass products were considered a luxury by the late Stone Age people.

In India, the production of glass started in 1730 BC while China started glass making later compared with ceramic and metal work.

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Romans used glass for domestic, industrial and funerary purposes while Anglo-Saxon glass was founded around England at settlement and cemetery sites. Vessels, beads, windows and jeweler was made by glass during Anglo-Saxon period.

Obsidian was used by Stone Age people as a sharp cutting edge tool across the globe and it was extensively traded due to its limited resources.

In 700 BC, Glass manufacturing was revived and in Egypt, it was revived in the 500 BC. Over the next 500 years, Egypt, Syria, and the other countries along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea became the centers for glass manufacturing.

In the Roman Empire, glass production flourished spread from Italy to all countries under its rule. In 1000 A.D., interestingly, the Egyptian city of Alexandria became the most important center of glass manufacture.

In the 13th and 14th century, the finest Chartres and Canterbury cathedral windows were produced. They were the miraculous art that made stained glass look on churches and cathedrals astonishing.

In 1674, George Ravenscroft introduced a new technique in glass making by which glass could stand longer than usual. Ravenscroft added lead oxide to the molten glass that helped in improving the appearance of glass and made it easier to melt using sea coal as a furnace fuel. George Ravenscroft was also the first person to produce lead crystal glassware on industrial scale. He helped England to take over Venice as the center of glass industry in the 18th and 19th century using his financial and cultural resources.

By 1696, at least 30 glass houses in England were producing flint glass and had exports all over Europe due to which, by 1746 the British Government imposed a lucrative tax on glass. The glass makers then made amendments in their glass products and by 1845, the British glass making industry repealed the tax imposed by the government.

In 1847, James Hartley introduced Rolled Plate method where final glass product had ribbed finish and was extensively used for glass roofs within railway stations.

In 1851, Glass was used as a building material to make The Crystal Palace, built by Joseph Paxton to house the Great Exhibition. This move by Paxton inspired people to use glass a primary material for domestic and horticultural architecture.

By 1887, the firm Ashley from Yorkshire produced 200 glass bottles per hour using machines that helped in a quicker manufacture of glass than the traditional method. This technique was later adopted by Chance Brothers in 1888.

In 1898, the first wired cast glass was introduced by Pilkington where the glass had strong steel wire mesh for safety and security. This glass was named as Georgian Wired Glass.

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In 1910, a machine drawn cylinder technique was introduced in the US where window glass was drawn using mechanical methods. It was also patented by Pilkington in 1910.

In 1938, Pilkington also improved the polished plate process that doubled the quality and finish of the product. Between 1953 and 1957, the Pilkington brother introduced a successful method of glass making where continuous ribbons of glass were formed using molten tin bath where molten glass flows unhindered under the influence of gravity. This process was known as float glass process. The final product of this process would be a smooth and flat surfaced glass with thick uniform sheets. By 1960, the sales of float glass increased that are also used in today’s era.

Today, glass has found numerous uses and applications in our daily lives right from mirrors, windows, building facades, chandeliers, crockery, pottery, artifacts, jeweler, decorative panels, tiles and mosaics, objects etc with newer innovative applications each day.