Young boy in a crowd with umbrellas in the rain.

Young boy in a crowd with umbrellas in the rain. He is smiling because the rain has stopped. Although rain is fairly harmless, people generally try to avoid getting wet. Of course, in cooler climates getting wet is not only uncomfortable but it might lead to illness as the body chills. The invention of the umbrella around 4000 years ago in China and Egypt were actually parasols. 3000 years ago in China a waterproof version was created. Umbrellas came to Ancient Greece and Rome but were not revived again until the Renaissance. Oilskins were first used in the late 1700's but with the invention of plastic the rainwear was available for all.