John Macready

"he proud look, the flying suit, behind his biplane with the tricolor flag painted on the tail. Giusto Ebhardt was an ace of aviation, the feats of his squadron ended up in the newspapers, grumpy at home and happy in flight. The photo I have hung next to the dreamy illustrations by Anna, my wife, portrays him with an aviator's cap on his head and goggles to protect himself from ultraviolet rays. They're probably Protector, invented by the brilliant mind of a Turin optician, Giuseppe Ratti, for the aviators of the early twentieth century. Heroic aviation, few comforts, and much risk, sunglasses to protect from wind, dust, and weather. John Macready had them too when, in 1923, he left New York and flew non-stop all the way to his San Diego, where he was born. Together with the co-pilot, they managed to set a new record, completing the first non-stop coast-to-coast flight of the United States in 26 hours, 50 minutes, and 38 seconds. They made it on the third attempt, because history is made more of failures than of victories."

"Ray-Ban is essentially synonymous with sunglasses, one of those brands that have become common nouns, like Jeep for off-road vehicles, Scotch for adhesive tape, and Rimmel for mascara. The American company Bausch & Lomb patented the anti-glare Ray-Ban sunglasses in 1937 at the request of aviation ace John Macready."