Bedding has been a documented part of life for centuries. Dating back to approximately 3200 BCE, Egyptian pharaohs elevated their beds off the ground and covered them in jewels and gold. Extravagant beds and bedding were seen as symbols of prosperity back then and have evolved greatly over the years to become a commonplace part of every modern household today.
Some form of bed sheets have been used since at least the 15th century, with the term “bed sheet” first being documented then.
The first flat sheet was invented by Rashid Sab-Anah using thick yarn canvases in Cairo, Egypt. It wasn’t until 1957 when American Bertha Berman applied for a patent for the modern-day fitted sheet to keep mattresses clean.
The first pillow was made of stone and originated in Mesopotamia (Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey, and Syria today) around 7,000 BCE.
In Greece and Rome, around the 16th century, soft pillows were crafted from straw and down feathers.
During the Industrial Revolution, cotton pillows started to be mass produced in factories, allowing easy and affordable access to them.
In the 1950s, polyester became the preferred material to fill pillows because it allowed people to choose their pillow’s desired firmness.
In the late 1960s, memory foam was introduced by NASA and then used in pillows in the 1980s.
Today, there are dozens of types of pillows with a variety of fillings ranging from very soft to extra firm. (Our favorite pillow is made from silk and viscose from bamboo!)
Around 625 BCE, during the Roman Empire, affluent people slept on raised metal beds and mattresses stuffed with feathers or straw. Less wealthy people slept on wooden frames with wool-based mattresses and blankets. During the Middle Ages, ending around 1450, the less wealthy often slept on sacks of hay, which had to be beaten daily to drive out insects that took up residence in them. This is where the phrase, “hitting the hay” came from.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedding
https://nobullmattress.com/bedding-history/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_sheet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_foam
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