Do you want to know the answer to “when was blinking invented?” If yes, then you have reached the right place!
Have you ever wondered when people started to notice body functions? Our human body works in mysterious ways but all the functions were not known to humans in the early stages. They started to discover the work of every organ gradually.
Blinking is a part of our body function that happens automatically from time to time. However, it was not known to people for a certain time. They came to know about it when it was invented. Now the question remains “when was blinking invented” and we are here to help you get the right answer.
So, let’s open the chapter on blinking and find out the history. You will be shocked to know some of the secrets and details of the story. Also, there is a small challenge for you to read the whole article with your eyes open without blinking.
When Was Blinking Invented?
There are plenty of rumors around regarding this topic. However, you need to check the source very well before believing them. There are plenty of websites available on the internet that claim to know the details of the invention.
It is hard to find out when was blinking invented in the past. While some people say, it was there for a long time now. Others think that blinking was invented recently. It is hard to find out which of them is true.
According to many different websites, blinking was invented in 1638 by Richard Blink. It happened when he was trying to wink twice. Some people think that it is simply a made-up history and others think that this is the correct information.
There are some other answers available regarding the debate of when was blinking invented. Here are some of the common theories given in this article to help you find out which is the best.
When Was Blinking Invented – Different Stories
One of the things that are still unclear to many people is when was blinking first invented. It happens because there are plenty of results available on the internet. Here some of the most common answers are given below in detail.
1. Based on Google, blinking was invented in 1638 by Richard Blink. He did it when he was trying to wink twice. While it is hard to believe, there are many websites that claim to believe that blinking was invented in 1638.
2. In 1896, European Neurology Journal claimed that blinking was invented by Walker Overend.
3. Blinking is an invention by the military in 1967 by Charles Kiesling. He invented the blinking cursor to help people know where the cursor was in the first place.
4. Another report claims, that the blink etymology is linked with the Gilbertine Monk in the 1300s.
5. The blinking word was added to dictionary.com in the middle of the 1200s. Richard Blink wasn’t even born back then.
It is hard to know which of these is true and which one is just a rumor. However, some people believe that no one invented blinking. It was there from the beginning of the time. The first creatures that roamed the Earth invented buildings and people knew about them for a long time. In some mythologies, god invented blinking as well. So, it is hard to say when was blinking invented.
Have you ever wondered how many times a person blinks? An average person blinks more than 15-20 times every minute. It happens so frequently the eyes stay closed for roughly 10% of the time that we are awake. So, it is very obvious that it is noticed by people from an early age.
When Was Blinking Invented: What Does Research Say?
The blinking reflex was first described by Walker Overend in 1896, according to research that was published in the journal of European Neurology in 2008.
The initial section or the abstract of the particular research incorporates this specific detail:
“Historically, it was described by Overend in 1896 and soon afterwards by McCarthy and by Bekhterev who disputed its origins.”
Let’s get real here for a minute, I need to hear more about this insightful quarrel. Sadly, this historical tea is glossed over in the research article.
Blinking: When Was The Mechanism First Described?
According to Dictionary.com, this is what blinking is:
“The first records of the term blink come from the mid-1200s. It comes from the Middle English blenken, meaning “to quail, shrink back, or flinch.” Humans unconsciously blink their eyes a lot without realizing — up to 20 times a minute! Perhaps that frequency is why we have so many senses of the word blink.”
This means that everything that we read until now, including everything that we know about the mechanism of blinking is rather ancient. This further confuses us, and moves us farther from the real answer to “when was blinking invented?”The original word for blinking that was used in the Middle English era was ‘Blenchen.’ In the Old English era, it was ‘Blencan.’ In the Old Norse Era, that dates way back, it was ‘Blekkja.’ And all this was even before 1000 B.C.E.
Frequently Asked Questions:–
Ans: The world record for not blinking is secured by Haridas from India. He is a 37 years old male from India who spent 1 hour 31 minutes, the longest time without blinking. It has been recognized by the Book of Records, and he also received a certificate and medal for his effort.
Ans: According to Google, blinking was invented in 1638. However, there are claims that blinking has been invented way longer than that. Based on the reports, Richard Blink invented blinking when he was trying to wink twice. However, it is hard to believe anything as there is no hard proof of when was blinking invented.
Ans: It is hard for normal people to spend a long amount of time without blinking. It is a process in motion that happens automatically. However, there are some people who manage to beat the normal process of the human body. Haridas spent 1 hour 31 minutes, and Julio Jaime spent 1 hour 5 minutes and 11 seconds without blinking.
Ans: If you do not blink for a long time, your cornea will start to swell. As your cornea does not have any blood vessels, it needs a lot of oxygen from the tear film. The needed oxygen comes from when you blink.
Conclusion
Blinking is a normal function of the human body that helps to get oxygen. The cornea does not have any blood vessels, it takes the oxygen from the tear film. However, the question that remains is when was blinking invented.
This article will help you to get an idea about when was blinking invented. Make sure to go through every point to find out all the details. If this article has helped you to learn about blinking, make sure to share it with others.
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