Hammocks may conjure up all sorts of relaxing summertime images in your mind - a soft breeze, warm day, and an ice cold beverage in hand. Whether you are enjoying the great outdoors on a long hike or camping trip, or simply lounging in a backyard paradise, you hammock is the perfect cocoon on a beautiful day. Netting between two ropes secured to two points made to envelope your body securely so you can rest. It's such a simple idea, but did you ever stop to wonder whose genius concept it was?

Some give credit to the Mayan Indians of Central America for spreading their own version of the hammock which has evolved into a popular piece of outdoor and indoor furniture throughout North America today. The hammock is named after the Hamak tree from which the first hammocks were made. The bark of the Hamak tree was used to create the fibers the hammock was spun from. As the hammock spread throughout the indigenous populations of Central, North, and South America, local plants and fibers where used to construct hammocks in a variety of ways with various materials.

In Venezuela, hammocks provided protection against the harsh jungle environment, in turn preventing disease. The cocoon design off the ground provided protection against poisonous snakes and scorpions, while breathable material prevented mold from developing in the humid jungle climate. Western explorers found that the Venezuelan hammocks were very useful for sleeping in the jungle. Even the United States armed forces employed the use of hammocks for jungle protection in tours to Vietnam, Burma and the Pacific Islands.

Other historians attribute the invention to a student of Socrates. However, both historical views point to Christopher Columbus as the first person to introduce the hammock to Europeans after a trip to the Americas. The hammock proved to be a great sleeping apparatus at sea, and was used by the British Navy. In addition, the hammock was introduced to prisons in Great Britain to save space.

Today in North America, the hammock predominately symbolizes leisure. After a hard day's work mowing the grass or weeding the garden, a quick cat nap in the backyard hammock is the perfect reward. Both cloth and woven hammocks are popular and can be found strung between two trees, two posts, or on a hammock stand. As the weather turns nice, pour yourself a cold beverage, bring out your own hammock, and give a little toast to all those who chose the hammock as a means of leisure before you.