Have you ever wondered why your Executive Chair is a swivel chair and not a stationary one? It may not surprise you to learn that the inventor of the swivel chair was not only a famous, scary-smart thinker, but a quiet, health-nut as well.
As someone who spent many hours per day writing books and theses and position papers and think pieces and in long meetings with other powerful leaders, the inventor of the swivel chair came to the realization that in order to maintain his mental acuity, he needed to be just as physically fit, which meant that he needed to be up and exercising.
It would be more than 200 years later that health professionals would make the direct, causative link between long periods of sitting and such adverse effects on the body as a heightened risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, among many other ills. But back then, our inventor only knew intuitively that the many hours which he spent sitting, reading and writing needed to be balanced with even a few hours spent in ambulation.
By now, perhaps, you may not be surprised to learn that the inventor of the swivel chair was none other than Thomas Jefferson, an American founding father, the primary author of the American Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States.
‘Swivel,’ ‘Spinny,’ ‘Revolving’
According to Wikipedia: “The first swivel chair was invented by Thomas Jefferson and is purported to be the chair on which he drafted the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776.”
Perhaps the best definition of a “swivel chair” is that found in the Collins COBUILD Advanced Dictionary (CCAD) – famous for providing its definitions in complete sentences rather than succinct phrases. According to the CCAD:
“A swivel chair is a chair whose seat can be turned around a central point to face in a different direction without moving the legs.”
In fact, swivel chairs (also called “spinny” or “revolving” chairs) have a single central leg that allows the seat to rotate 360 degrees to the left or right.
Some 243 years after its invention and after several iterations by other designers from various regions of the world (including one famously by Charles Darwin) today’s modern office chair for executives – the Executive Chair – comes in many styles and with adjustable features designed to help you customize the comfort and support uniquely needed by your body and offered by your choice of Executive Chair.