Neolithic Period (10,000 years ago): People first began sleeping on primitive "beds."

3,400 BC: Egyptian pharaohs discovered the benefits of raising a pallet off the earth.  Common people slept on palm bows heaped in the corner of their home.  King Tutankahmen, however, had a bed of ebony and gold.

Roman Empire: The first luxury beds were typically decorated with gold, silver, or bronze.  They also featured mattresses stuffed with reeds, hay, wool or feathers.  Also during this period came the discovery of the waterbed.  The sleeper would recline in a cradle of warm water until drowsy, then be lifted onto an adjacent cradle with a mattress, where he or she would be rocked to sleep.

Renaissance Period: Mattresses were made of pea shucks or straw, sometimes feathers, stuffed into coarse ticks, and then covered with sumptuous velvets, brocades, and silks.

16th and 17th Centuries: Mattresses were generally stuffed with straw or down, placed atop a latticework of rope.

18th Century: Towards the end of the century came the advent of both the cast iron bed and the cotton mattress. Together, they provided a sleeping space that was less attractive to bugs.  Until that time, assorted vermin were simply accepted as an accepted component of even the most royal beds.

1865: The first coil spring construction for bedding was patented.

1930's:  Innerspring mattresses and upholstered foundations became serious contenders for the dominant position they now enjoy in the U.S. and Canada.

1940's: Futons were first introduced to North America.

1950's: Foam rubber mattresses and pillows first appeared on the market.

1960's: The modern waterbed is introduced.  Adjustable beds also became popular with consumers.

1980's: Airbeds are introduced.

1990's: In 1999, the queen-size mattress became America's most popular choice for mattress size – for the first time ever – beating the twin.

2000's: Choice and comfort are key words in contemporary bedding.  An almost unlimited range of innerspring mattress designs, new types of foam mattress cores (such as "memory" or visco-elastic foam and refinements to traditional latex), airbeds, waterbeds, and high-tech adjustable sleep sets offer consumers attractive, quality alternatives.  Pillowtop mattresses offer an extra layer of soft cushioning, and single-sided no-flip mattresses are common.