Birth of the Blue Jeans


May 20, 1873: Blue jeans assume their distinctive form when a patent is issued for the rivet process used to strengthen the pockets on what were then called "waist overalls."

Jacob Youphes, a Latvian immigrant who changed his name to Jacob Davis after coming to the United States in 1854, was working as a tailor in Reno, Nevada, when he hit on the idea of using copper rivets to reinforce denim working pants. Since he obtained his denim from Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco, Davis approached Strauss with an offer to file for a joint patent.

Strauss -- knowing a good thing when he saw it -- accepted, and the modern "blue jean" was born.

2 comments:

  1. Excuse me, but who IS that groovy looking dude in the photo in your sidebar???

    Also, a friend and I agreed that of all the comments on my "flowers" post, your stood out among them all as the very best. The world needs more K-Bobs!

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  2. That groovy looking dude is a pic that I found of yours truly in 1987.. I grew the beard for a 2 week mission trip to Asia.. I may share more about it sometime.

    I am the flower guy at church.. always prefer to deliver flowers personally when I make hospital visits.. unless it is a kid or a guy.. then I try to get creative and bring a book or something.

    Of course that isn't the type of flower delivery we were speaking of at your place Barbara :)

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