Nowadays, we can't go to school, travel, or go hiking without a backpack, and it is increasingly being chosen instead of a bag for work. We use it every day and don't even suspect that the accessory has an amazing history. We offer a selection of the most interesting facts about backpacks.
Fact 1. A backpack translated from German rucksack means a shoulder bag.
Fact 2. The right to an invention does not belong to anyone, so it is impossible to say for sure who invented the backpack. It was invented many times, at different times and on different continents. People came up with the idea that carrying a large load on their shoulders is much more convenient than in their hands. Pester, ponyaga, rogulka, chige - all these are the names of the backpack among different nationalities. In one form or another, the backpack is found all over the world.
Fact 3. The history of the backpack goes back to ancient times. The age of the first backpack design known to scientists is over 5,000 years. In the Ötztal Alps in Tyrol, a human skeleton was found in a glacier. According to scientists, it was a man who died in 3300 BC. The ice preserved both him and the things, among which an analogue of the backpack was found. It looked like a wooden frame with a leather bag thrown over it. Backpacks are also mentioned in the chronicles of Roman legionnaires and Knights Templar.
Fact 4. The version of the modern backpack we are familiar with came from the army knapsack of the early 19th century. Back then, these were simple models made of canvas. Then, tourists and climbers appreciated the convenience and created their own adapted types of backpacks.
Fact 5. In the USSR, rock climber Vitaly Abalakov created a sports backpack for climbers and set the standard for sports models for many years. It was called the "Abalakov backpack." It was popular from the late 1950s to the early 1990s.
Fact 6. School backpacks have been used relatively recently, and before that, since the mid-1950s, children went to school with schoolbags.
Fact 7. Do you know who introduced the backpack trend? Fashionable backpacks appeared at the behest of Miuccia Prada in 1984, when she introduced a nylon version with a shiny logo.
Fact 8. The most expensive backpack in the world today is a model from Louis Vuitton. Its cost is $79,000.
Fact 9. The largest backpack in the world was created on August 15, 2015 in Krasnodar. It was officially listed in the Guinness Book of Records. It took 400 m of fabric and 7.5 km of threads to make it. Its size is 12.12 m in height, 9.28 m in width and 5.12 m in depth. Impressive, isn't it?
Fact 10. You can't visit New York museums with a backpack, you'll have to leave it in a locker. But you can with a briefcase or handbag. This rule doesn't apply everywhere, but in many museums around the world. The thing is that the backpack is behind your back, its owner can't see what's happening behind and can accidentally touch and damage an exhibit.
We also did not ignore the fact about Kite backpacks. The brand has the largest license package in Ukraine, and the first contract was signed with the licensor "The Walt Disney Company". What do you think about the facts from the history of backpacks? It turns out that the accessory is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. I wonder which ones you didn't know about?
