Have you ever wondered where those cool big lenses and signature frame originated from? Maybe you are a little curious as to how aviation shades have gotten so big in recent years?

The shades we know today were first created way back in 1936 by none other than Ray Ban. The reason they are known as “aviator sunglasses” is because they were developed specifically for pilots back in 1936. Pilots needed a good pair of anti glare sunglasses, and Ray Ban’s design satisfied this requirement perfectly.

The design that Ray Ban came up with was actually modeled directly from the goggles being worn by the U.S. military at the time. Since the aviator’s debut, they have remained largely unchanged in design and are still standard issue for military pilots the world over.