Jolene and I will soon be grandparents. It’s a change we are attempting to prepare for — admittedly, my wife is doing better than me. It seems to be a nesting thing, but for grandmas.

When our three kids were babies, we had a rocking chair. It was an essential piece of furniture we used to rock them to sleep — and sometimes me. Somewhere along the line, that rocking chair went away. So, we found ourselves buying a new rocking chair this week. But not just a rocker. The chair we (Jolene) picked out is a recliner and a swivel chair, too, all wrapped up in one. It also has a power mechanism to recline with, which eliminates that noisy side handle that would certainly wake up our grandson. He will sleep soundly in this chair — and me, too.

All this chair talk had me wondering who invented the recliner chair that revolutionized all this comfort and relaxation. According to cheersrecliner.com, the ancient Egyptians were the first ones, starting in 1330 BC. The earliest known recliner, made of wood with a sloping backrest, was discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Yes, King Tut. Steve Martin is smiling.

Dentists also apparently had some say in the development of recliners with the first mechanical dental chair in 1790 that allowed patients to recline in comfort. I don’t typically use the words “comfort” and “dental” in the same sentence, but it makes sense. I also don’t typically associate wooden benches with comfort. Can you imagine the sighs of relief when the first upholstered model of a reclining chair was introduced?

In the 1920s, the Morris chair, known as the first true recliner, advanced the concept with a simple reclining mechanism that allowed users to adjust the angle of the backrest.

But the real credit, according to flashyhouse.com, goes to two American cousins from Michigan named Edward Knabush and Edwin Shoemaker. They were granted a patent in 1928 for their invention of a chair with an adjustable backrest and footrest. They called it the “La-Z-Boy.”

Lane Furniture played a part, too. In 1956, the company introduced its “Action Lounge Chair,” which featured an adjustable headrest and a lever to adjust both seat height and angle independently from each other, providing “just the right fit” when watching TV.

Of course, many of today’s modern recliners feature power mechanisms, massage functions, heat, ergonomic designs and more. I hear some models are even great for rocking babies to sleep — and grandpas, too.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com 

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