History of Hemp
Some other interesting pieces of information about the historical use of hemp include the following.
- Hemp is thought to originate in the Himalayas, from where it was spread by animals and people. The Aryans who invaded India are known to have taken hemp seed with them to sow for fibre throughout the Middle East and Europe.
- Hemp is among the oldest industries, going back more than 10,000 years to the beginning of pottery.
- The oldest relic of human industry is a bit of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 BC. It was found in Mesopotamia and was mentioned in Assyrian scripts.
- By 3,000 years BC, hemp was considered the most important textile, and even in China, where silk production was flourishing, hemp was relied on because it was cheaper than silk and was a strong fibre for clothing.
- Christopher Columbus carried hemp seed on his fleet for use in case of shipwreck to grow crops for raw materials and for use as a food source.
- US past presidents Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were both active hemp farmers.
- The war between North America and Great Britain in 1812 was mainly about access to Russian hemp.
- Napoleon's principle reason for invading Russia in the same year 1812 was due to Russian hemp supplies.
- Until the early 1800's the word 'linen' was used to refer to any fine fabric made from hemp or flax.
- After the invasion of Philippines stopped the supply of Manila hemp to US, the US government distributed 400,00 pounds of Cannabis hemp seeds to US farmers who subsequently produced 42,000 tons of fibre for the US WWII effort.
- Benjamin Franklin started one of the first paper mills with cannabis hemp thus freeing US from dependence on paper or books from England.
- Hemp seed oil is said to burn the brightest of all lamp oils and has been used for millennia.
- Scythians used hemp seed oil to cleanse and purify themselves.
- Legal restrictions put paid to Henry Ford's automobile made in part from hemp fibre and run on hemp oil. He was forced to abandon his work due to hemp prohibition, and alcohol prohibition.
- In 1935 in the US 58,000 tons of hemp seed was used to make non-toxic paint and varnish, but hemp prohibition meant these safe products were replaced with toxic petro-chemical paints and varnishes.