The history of Ray-Ban sunglasses dates back much farther than most fashion gurus realize; all the way back to 1937, when Bausch and Lomb took out a patent to develop a special anti-glare lens to filter out ultraviolet and infrared rays.

The glasses immediately became a hit with the US Army Air Corps and continued to be worn by military men and women for some time. In fact, General Douglas MacArthur sported a pair of Ray-Ban aviators during World War II, furthering the history of Ray Ban sunglasses when Americans at home jumped on the style bandwagon as well.

Another trend that helped the history of Ray-Ban sunglasses along was their appearance in many Hollywood films. While many of us saw our first pair of Ray-Bans in movies like Risky Business or Men in Black, the glasses in movies actually date back to Breakfast at zonnebrillen dames in 1961. The Blues Brothers, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, were also seen sporting the classic Wayfarers in their films and Tom Cruise made them a hit with the younger crowd after modeling them in his movie debut Risky Business.

Today, the history of Ray-Ban sunglasses lives on with Barack Obama showing off his own style on the cover of Ebony Magazine. The younger crowd can also get in on the action with the example set by the popular music group The Jonas Brothers, who flaunt their own favorite brand frequently. With many styles and colors to choose from today, it appears that the history of Ray-Ban sunglasses will continue for many years to come.