AO Sunglasses American Optical Gold Fra 23K Dark Lens Size 2" x 2 1/4" Mint
Sunglasses at the start of WWII helmets were made in various combinations of leather and fabric. They didn't look too different from football helmets of the era. By the late 1940s injection molded plastics were being used, with communications systems and oxygen masks being factored into the design. Visors were added in the 1950s to guard against potential wind blast. The traditional aviator sunglasses prior to the molded helmets were simply too bulky to fit under the new style helmets. A new design was developed that had a more comfortable library temple, was easier to put on and take off with helmets and headsets and was more compatible with oxygen masks. They were designated as the U.S. Air Force Type HGU-4/P aviator sunglasses and recommended for use on November 5th 1958. And so the Type HGU-4/P aviator sunglasses were duly adopted by the Air Force and the Navy. They were in use by astronauts throughout the heyday of NASA's Mercury and Apollo missions in the 1960s and were said to be the first sunglasses worn on the moon. They continue to be used today, although aviator sunglasses have largely been supplanted by tinted visors in flight helmets. The first contractor was American Optical, who developed the style. They were joined by Randolph Engineering in the 1980s. They're still made in the USA.