did you know...
Levi Strauss invented blue jeans

ACCORDING to historian Lynn Downey, Levi Strauss, born as "Loeb" Strauss in Bavaria in 1829 and who made his way to San Francisco nearly 150 years ago, invented the blue jeans. He, his mother and two sisters left Germany in 1847 and sailed to New York, where Loeb's half-brothers ran a business of selling cloth, linens, clothing, etc. For a few years, young Loeb worked for his brothers. By 1850, he had changed his name to Levi. In 1853, he obtained his American citizenship and decided to make a new start and undertake the hazardous journey to San Francisco, a city enjoying the benefits of the Gold Rush.

nIn 1872, he and Jacob Davis, a tailor, decided to improve the strength of the pants made for their customers. They added metal rivets, which proved to be a big success.

nLevi brought Jacob Davis to San Francisco to oversee the manufacture of their copper-riveted "waist overalls," the old name for jeans. These pants were made from brown cotton duck and blue denim. Knowing that riveted pants were going to be perfect for work wear, Levi and Jacob decided to make them out of denim rather than jean because denim was a very sturdy fabric and appropriate for workwear.

nLevi Strauss died in 1902, at the age of 73. He left his thriving manufacturing and dry goods business to his four nephews — Jacob, Louis, Abraham and Sigmund Stern — who helped rebuild the company after the big earthquake and fire of 1906.

— Compiled by Gaurav Sood