When was the first snow globe made?

I simply love snow globes. They're so magical. I'm not a fan of real snow, but there's something about glittery snow trapped in a ball you can hold in your hands. This time of year I see so many, and they make me happy when you can turn them upside down and let their magic radiate.

So how long have these snow globes been bringing people like me joy? Well, the earliest description of a snow globe like object was in the 1878 Paris Universal Exposition. The article from Artsy.com says the group of objects were described as, “paper weights of hollow balls filled with water, containing a man with an umbrella.” The objects also contained white powder that fell “in imitation of a snow storm” when turned upside down. Sounds like a snow globe to me!

The first patent however was awarded to an Austrian man named Erwin Perzy. He was actually trying to make a brighter light bulb for a surgeon when he stumbled upon his own snow globe! He was awarded the patent in 1900, and word traveled the globe, as it does, and the first American, Joseph Garaja, was awarded a patent for snow globes with the radical new idea of underwater assembly. This transformed the items into an affordable commodity and soon swept the world.

So it isn't just me who loves snow globes. Their charm is clear around the world. Do you have a snow globe?