Chapter 1 Dates

Question 1

Barbering services first performed in Egypt.

Answer 1

5000 BC

Question 2

Barbering becomes available to general populace of the Middle East by Moses’ time.

Answer 2

1391-1271 BC

Question 3

The Biblical prophet Ezekiel writes of a “barber’s razor.”

Answer 3

595 BC

Question 4

Alexander the Great prohibits the wearing of beards in battle, so shaving gains popularity.

Answer 4

334 BC

Question 5

According to Pliny, barbering and shaving were introduced to Rome by Ticinius Mena.

Answer 5

296 BC

Question 6

Being clean shaven is a rule in Rome.

Answer 6

100 BC-100 AD

Question 7

Barbers practice shaving throughout Europe and assist the physician-clergy until the twelfth century (1100s).

Answer 7

30-325

Question 8

William, Arch-bishop of Rouen (France), prohibits wearing of beards; barber-surgeons travel and practice throughout Europe.

Answer 8

1096

Question 9

Council of Tours prohibits clergy to draw blood or act as physicians; barber-surgeons assume medical duties of the clergy, including dentistry.

Answer 9

1163

Question 10

Worship Company of Barbers guild founded in London, England; two groups formed: barbers who practiced barbering and those who practiced surgery.

Answer 10

1308

Question 11

English surgeon and barber guilds merge and become the Company of Barber-Surgeons until 1745; barbers restricted to bloodletting, tooth pulling, cauterization, and tonsorial services.

Answer 11

1450

Question 12

Henry VII of England reunites the barbers and surgeons through an Act of Parliament to set up the Company of Barbers and Surgeons of London.

Answer 12

1540

Question 13

Surgeons again separate from barbers and form the Company of Surgeons (becomes Royal College of Surgeons in 1800); complete separation of barbers from surgeons enacted by law; barbers keep the barber pole as the sign of their profession.

Answer 13

1745

Question 14

Wigs in vogue in Europe and worn in the American colonies by the upper classes; barbers add wigmaking and maintenance to tonsorial services.

Answer 14

1750–1850

Question 15

Disappearance of bloodletting equipment from most doctors’ satchels.

Answer 15

1848

Question 16

American Civil War (1861 to 1865); beards become popular; barbershops established in towns by English, French, German, and Italian immigrants.

Answer 16

1861–1899

Question 17

A.B. Moler establishes America’s first barber school in Chicago, Illinois.

Answer 17

1893

Question 18

Irene Castle, a well-known dancer, popularizes the “bob cut” for American women. Barbers must quickly meet demand.

Answer 18

1915

Question 19

Associated Master Barbers of America establishes the National Education Council to improve and standardize barbering education.

Answer 19

1925

Question 20

Flat top, butch cut, crew cut, and Princeton cut become popular hairstyles.

Answer 20

1940–1949

Question 21

Edmond “Pop” O. Roffler develops the Roffler Sculptur- Kut based on European razor- cutting techniques; still used today.

Answer 21

1959

Question 22

The Beatles arrive in New York City to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. Social and cultural influences set the stage for the “long-hair revolution” of the 1960s and beyond.

Answer 22

1964

Question 23

Some states move away from barber-specific licenses in favor of general cosmetology licensing. Unisex salons pull clients away from barbershops, along with popularity of full-service salons and spas in 1990s.

Answer 23

1980s

Question 24

Over 50% of barber students reported to be female.

Answer 24

1985

Question 25

Ed Jeffers establishes Barber Museum in Canal Winchester, Ohio.

Answer 25

1988

Question 26

Over 50% of barber students reported to be African American.

Answer 26

1995

Question 27

Resurgence in barbering takes place; new schools open in many states; new barbershops, both independent and franchised, combine traditional skills with an atmosphere geared to the male consumer.

Answer 27

2000s

Question 28

Recession further drives consumers away from high-end spas and to mid-range barbershops; women make up 30% of barber clientele.

Answer 28

2008

Question 29

Reemergence of beards on young men and investment in art of male upkeep has barbering booming: number of new barbers up by 10% in two years. Large-scale “barber battle” competitions grow in popularity.

Answer 29

2010s