Mundane Miracles: Mirrors

Snow_White_Mirror_1In one of my least understood passages in Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet, he talks about how “Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are the eternity and you are the mirror.” Yeah, I’ve got nothing. Instead, let’s focus on how this invention helps you to take selfies for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Myspace, Google+, Crasstalk, and if you’re Chinese, Sina Weibo.

Since waiting around for water to still was tedious, humanity decided that it needed something more tangible to carry around for some self-loving.

  • Beginning in 6,000 BCE, polished obsidian stones (glass-like volcanic rock) was used as a reflective device in Anatolia in modern-day Turkey.
  • Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese, and Central and South Americans used polished bronze and copper.
  • The first metal-coated glass mirror was invented in Sidon, modern-day Lebanon, during the 1st century CE.
  • Glass mirrors backed with gold leaf were produced in Roman times circa 77 CE.
  • The invention of glassblowing during the 14th century led to convex mirrors.
  • Justus von Liebig, a German chemist, created the first modern silver glass mirror in 1835.

What is your household mirror commonly made of?

A mirror’s main component is glass, followed by a metal coating, such as silver, aluminium, or chrome.

Why is it considered bad luck to break a mirror?

Because this means you’re clumsy, careless, and have a weak core. Aside from that, the “break a mirror, endure seven years of bad luck” superstition can be traced to the Roman Era. They believed their reflection was their soul and that a person’s soul could be trapped inside a broken mirror. Another explanation is that mirrors were often expensive luxuries and by terrifying the help, it reduced unnecessary household expenditures.

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(Image c/o 1)

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