History of Mattresses

History has shown, time and time again that thereads until the beginning of the age of rebirth
way we choose to sleep, will, affect our quality ofaround 1432 AD, with the death of Joan of Arc.
life. We do not sleep on mattresses by mereHer sacrifice in La Place Rouge in the city of
coincidence, but rather because of a basic humanRouen, not only echoed through the royal courts
need to sleep well. Thousands of years ago, in theof France, but carried with it the cry for an age
Neolithic period, people had beds made of stone,of reason throughout the entire known world. The
but still slept on animal skin. Mattresses appearedRenaissance revived the passion for comfort and
around 5,000 years ago, but luxury mattressesthe value of a good nights sleep.
began to appear as early as the decline of theThe passion for dreaming and enlightenment that
Roman Empire. Velvet and silks were heavily usedfueled the Renaissance, survived all the way up to
in the Renaissance, as well as lattice worked ropethe 19th century with such works of art as the
beds. Iron cast beds appeared in the early 19thhand carved beds in the fantasy castle
century, springs only being introduced after theNeueschwanstein in Bavaria. But insect and mite
year 1865. Modern mattresses with inner springfree mattresses as we know them today began
workings were first commercialized before WWto appear as early as the late 1700s with the first
II. In the late 60s memory oam was discovered,cast iron beds, with cotton mattresses. The need
and by the 80s cotton, foam and inner springfor hygiene and comfort led to the invention of
mattresses were all readily available around thesprings. NASA brought about the invention of
world.memory foam mattresses, which have shown
12,000 years ago before mattresses, people slepttime and time again to be far more efficient than
in caves, on the ground, on stone beds coveredthe conventional spring-cotton design inherited
with animal skins while dreaming of touching thefrom the Industrial Revolution.
stars. In Scotland, primitive stone beds can beIn a quickly globalizing world, much can be learned
found in the Neolithic village of Skara Brae, with itsby getting a good nights rest. In the dawn of
advanced stone astronomical calendar. Thecivilization, humankind first learned to value their
development of the first cotton mattresses insleep and look to the stars. During the Middle
Mesopotamia, Egypt and Babylonia, around 3,000Ages, western civilization slowly began the rebirth
BC, brought with it a turning point in mattressof its dreams, until 1969 when the first man
evolution until the end of Antiquity around thelanded on the moon, and they became reality.
year 529 AD, with the plunge into the Dark Ages.Now, in a rational world, made of glass and plastic
In the eastern civilizations of China and Japan, thetowers, the race for comfort and a good nights
futon continued to evolve, as well as the tatami,sleep, depends on the mattress we use to face,
but western culture seemed to be morethis basic human need.
interested in dry weeds, hay, wool, feathers and