French Quarter shutters

Legendary story of the invention of shutters:

A favorite pastime of Louis XIV was to admire the beautiful women of his court bathe in the many ponds within his gardens. However, he noticed that the bathing women also distracted guards on duty to protect the palace. Rumor holds that Louis XIV had movable louvered shutters installed around the garden walls so that he could open them and peep but the guards would not be able to see.

Interesting story, but it was probably the ancient Greeks who invented shutters to provide light control, ventilation and protection in the warm Mediterranean climate.