* Early forms: Eye protection from the sun existed long before modern sunglasses. Ancient civilizations like the Inuits, Chinese, and Romans used various materials like bone, wood, and leather to shield their eyes.
* 18th Century: In the 18th century, James Ayscough in England started using tinted lenses, specifically green glass, to address vision problems. These were more like spectacles than sunglasses, however.
* 19th Century: In the 19th century, Edwin Land created the first polarizing filters, which were later used in sunglasses.
* 20th Century: Sam Foster of Foster Grant is credited with popularizing sunglasses as a fashion item in the 1920s. He started selling them on the beaches of Atlantic City, and they quickly caught on as a trendy accessory.
So, while no single inventor is credited with "inventing" sunglasses in their modern form, various individuals and innovations contributed to their development and widespread use.
