The History of Glass

From our earliest origins, man has been making use of glass. Historians have discovered that a type of natural glass, obsidian, was used by Stone Age societies. It formed when volcanic lava cooled very rapidly. However, the first man-made glass was produced by the ancient Egyptians around 3500 BC.

The Romans were the first to use glass for windows, but only for the wealthy. It wasn't until the 17th century that glass became common in ordinary homes. Today, glass technology is so advanced that we use it for fiber optics to transmit data at the speed of light.

Glass is made from a mixture of silica (sand), soda ash, and limestone, melted at very high temperatures (around 1700°C). Recycling glass is highly efficient because it does not degrade during the process.