10,000 years ago, in the Neolithic period, people began sleeping on primitive "beds".
3400 BC. Egyptian Pharaohs discovered the benefits of raising a pallet off the Earth. King Tutankhamen had a bed of Ebony & Gold. Common people slept on a palm bows heaped in the corner of their home.
Roman Empire Times. First luxury bed. Often decorated with Gold, Silver or Bronze, these beds featured mattresses stuffed with reeds, hay, wool or feathers.
Roman Empire Times. Romans discovered the waterbed. The sleeper would recline in a cradle of warm water until drowsy, then be lifted onto an adjacent cradle with a mattress, were they would be rocked to sleep.
Renaissance Times. Mattresses were made of pea shucks or straw, sometimes feathers, stuffed into coarse ticks, then covered with sumptuous velvets, brocades & silks.
Louis XIV was inordinately fond of staying in bed, Often holding court in the royal bedroom. Reportedly, he owned 413 beds & displayed a special liking for the ultra spacious & ostentatious variety.
16t & 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 & 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 & upholstered foundations became serious contenders for the dominant position they now enjoy in the U.S. & Canada.
1940's. Futons introduced to North America.
1950's. Foam Rubber mattresses & pillows appeared in the Market.
The expression "Sleep Tight" comes from the 16th & 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. Air Beds are 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.
2000's. Choice & Comfort are key words in contemporary bedding. In addition to an almost unlimited range of inner-spring mattress designs, new types of foam mattress cores (such as "Memory" or Visco-Elastic foam & refinements to Traditional Latex) as well as Airbeds, Waterbeds and High Tech adjustable sleep sets offer consumers attractive, quality alternatives. Pillow top mattresses, a popular innovation in luxury, offer an extra layer of soft cushioning, and single-sided "No-Flip" mattresses are common.
