Chairs

The oldest known chairs were ceremonial furniture from Ancient Egypt 5,000 years ago.

Chairs came into common use only in the 16th century. We sat on benches or stones before that.

The word ‘chair’ came from ‘cathedra,’ a Latin word from words meaning ‘sit’ and ‘down’.

A ‘cathedral’ was so called as it is the seat or chair or seat of a bishop.

There is no mention of chairs in the Bible, though Shakespeare mentioned them eight times in Henry VI Part III alone.

Thomas Edison invented the electric chair in 1889 to show the dangers of alternating current.

Rocking chairs originated in North America during the early 18th century.

Charles Darwin added wheels to his chair so that he could get to his specimens quicker while in his study.

Emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia bought three electric chairs and turned one into a throne when he realised that Abyssinia had no electricity.

The earliest known reference to the game of Musical Chairs dates back to 1877.