The
Bed
in
History
Comfortable,
supportive
mattresses
are
something
most
of us
take
for
granted.
We
don't
think
about
how
they've
evolved
over
time.
Here's
an
eye-opening
lesson
on
the
bed
throughout
history
and
in
more
modern
times.
Give
your
readers
something
to
think
about
the
next
time
they
go to
sleep.
So
lie
down
and
let
us
tell
you a
story.
|
Great
Bed
of
Ware.
On
display
at
the
Victoria
and
Albert
Museum,
it
originally
measured
18
feet
six
inches
wide
by
12
feet
long
and
was
elaborately
carved
and
canopied.
And
could
accommodate
68
people. |
-
10,000
years
ago,
in
the
Neolithic
period,
people
began
sleeping
on
primitive
"beds."
-
3400
BCE.
Egyptian
pharaohs
discover
the
benefits
of
raising
a
pallet
off
the
earth.
King
Tutankahmen
had
a
bed
of
ebony
and
gold.
Common
people
slept
on
palm
bows
heaped
in
the
corner
of
their
home.
-
Roman
Empire.
First
luxury
bed.
Often
decorated
with
gold,
silver
or
bronze,
these
beds
featured
mattresses
stuffed
with
reeds,
hay,
wool
or
feathers.
-
Roman
Empire.
Romans
discover
the
waterbed.
The
sleeper
would
recline
in a
cradle
of
warm
water
until
drowsy,
then
be
lifted
onto
an
adjacent
cradle
with
a
mattress,
where
they
would
be
rocked
to
sleep.
-
Renaissance.
Mattresses
were
made
of
pea
shucks
or
straw,
sometimes
feathers,
stuffed
into
coarse
ticks,
then
covered
with
sumptuous
velvets,
brocades
and
silks.
-
|
Louis
XIV
was
inordinately
fond
of
staying
in
bed,
often
holding
court
in
the
royal
bedroom.
Reportedly,
he
owned
413
beds
and
displayed
a
special
liking
for
the
ultra
spacious
and
ostentatious
variety. |
-
16th
and
17th
centuries.
Mattresses
were
generally
stuffed
with
straw
or
down,
placed
atop
a
latticework
of
rope.
-
The
late
18th
century.
Advent
of
the
cast
iron
bed
and
cotton
mattresses.
Together,
they
provided
a
sleeping
space
that
was
less
attractive
to
bugs.
Until
that
time,
assorted
vermin
were
simply
accepted
as
an
accepted
component
of
even
the
most
royal
beds.
-
1865.
The
first
coil
spring
construction
for
bedding
was
patented.
-
1930's.
Innerspring
mattresses
and
upholstered
foundations
became
serious
contenders
for
the
dominant
position
they
now
enjoy
in
the
U.S.
and
Canada.
-
1940's.
Futons
introduced
to
North
America.
-
1950's.
Foam
rubber
mattresses
and
pillows
appeared
on
the
market.
-
|
The
expression
"sleep
tight"
comes
from
the
16th
and
17th
centuries
when
mattresses
were
placed
on
top
of
ropes
that
needed
regular
tightening. |
-
1960's.
Modern
waterbed
introduced.
Adjustable
beds
become
popular
with
consumers.
-
1980's.
Airbeds
introduced.
1990's.
Spacious
sleeping
is
once
again
on
the
rise.
In
1999,
the
queen-size
mattress
became
America's
most
popular
choice
for
mattress
size
– for
the
first
time
ever
–
beating
the
twin.
|
