Chapter 1
Secret histories of your desk drawer
Chapter 2
The global shower
Chapter 3
Secrets of the wardrobe
Chapter 4
The physics of the kitchen
Ch 3 · Secrets of the wardrobe
misslily Shank Buttons
No needle and thread, no needle and thread / We pin them in the back instead!
misslily European aristocrats in 1599 adopted the Persian military heel to appear taller and more powerful.
Quiz
In which century did European aristocrats begin widely adopting Persian-style heels as a status symbol?
misslily Gideon Sundback added interlocking metal teeth in 1913 to create the modern fastener.
Quiz
What footwear item was Whitcomb Judson's 1893 'clasp locker'—the precursor to the zipper—originally designed for?
Quiz
Which company coined the trademarked word 'zipper' in 1923 after applying the fastener to their rubber boots?
Fun Fact
Heel height: King Louis XIV of France wore red-heeled shoes to show off his wealth, banning anyone else from wearing them.
Quiz
What was the original country of birth of Jacob Davis, the tailor who co-invented blue jeans with Levi Strauss?
Quiz
What specific problem did tailor Jacob Davis solve by adding copper rivets to denim pants in 1873?
Glossary
zipper (noun)
A fastening device consisting of parallel tracks of teeth that are interlocked or separated by a sliding tab. In 1918, the U.S. Navy purchased ten thousand of Gideon Sundback's fasteners for windproof flight suits.
A fastening device consisting of parallel tracks of teeth that are interlocked or separated by a sliding tab. In 1918, the U.S. Navy purchased ten thousand of Gideon Sundback's fasteners for windproof flight suits.
Quiz
How were the earliest buttons used in the Indus Valley Civilization around 2800 BC?
Quiz
In which country was the functional buttonhole finally invented in the 13th century?