In 1980 the classic aviator movie Top Gun was released, it marked a great turning point in the career of Tom Cruise but also in the way people accepted the aviator glasses. Still the sunglasses have been here for longer than that. In fact the Pilots of the Royal Air Force wore those almost since the flight was possible.
In 1930 the classic frame of the classic pilot sunglasses came to be as airlines became a major part of the United States military. The pilots of those days had the reputation of renegades and daredevils. The sunglasses were there way of getting out from the crowd. From there the notion of the bad boy was connected whit the aviator glasses.
During WW II, airmen needed high performance eye protection and aid for visibility, thus the sunglasses whit resistant lenses, able to resist shock and not crack. The look was great as well, the rims made golden and the lens black.
Still it was in 1958 that the style associated with aviators brought the aviator sunglasses the fame they have now. Flight Goggle 58 was the name they had back then. If the name was not good for marketing was not important. The glasses protected the pilots from the sun, provided a great vision for dog fights and they made for long lasting and great comfort.
Because most of the pilots that promoted the aviator sunglasses have landed on the moon in 1969 the brand is exposed at the Smithsonian Museum now.
Now that is a great history for a great type of sunglasses