Sorry That's the Wrong Answer - Answer 18

Question 18: Where did Venetian blinds originate?

The correct answer is:

Venetian blinds may have originated in Persia, not the canal city of Venice, Italy. Or, they may date all the way back to ancient Egypt. Origins of Slatted blinds have existed for centuries. Ancient Egyptians tied reeds together to use as a window covering. The Chinese used bamboo strips in the same way. The true story of Venetian blinds' invention is unknown, but most experts date the first examples from around 1760. Early Venetian blinds were made of 2-inch wood slats hanging along cloth ribbons.

According to the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University, it is widely acknowledged that the Venetians brought the idea for the Venetian blinds back from trade expeditions to Persia between 1100 and 1500. Then, in the late 1700s, freed Venetian slaves who settled in France introduced the shades there France and began to fabricate Venetian blinds to earn a living during the late Middle Ages. In France, Venetian blinds are known as "les persienes."