The First T-Shirts

Tuesday 18th of October 2011 08:29:31 PM

The First T-Shirts

Have you ever wondered where the t-shirt came from? While it is unknown who invented the first t-shirt, it became a popular piece of clothing in the 1950’s when rebellious actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean wore them with leather jackets and jeans on and off the screen. The t-shirts made the men look "cool" in a tough sort of way. T-Shirts were created as a way to keep sweat from ruining shirts and causing skin rashes. As early as 1913, the shirts were being worn by sailors and soldiers in Europe. But it wasn’t until 1920, that the term ‘t-shirt’ was added to Webster’s Dictionary.

The first company to mass product T-Shirts was Jockey International, Inc. in 1932. They did so because the University of Southern California Trojans Football team needed shirts that were cheap and would help absorb excess sweat to prevent chaffing that would occur when practicing and playing in games.

Nowadays, most people own at least one t-shirt. Many people own t-shirts that they buy to support sports teams, clubs, and organisations. T-Shirts have also become a way to show off one’s personality through slogans and pictures. T-shirts can be worn with almost any article of clothing, do not need to be ironed, and are an inexpensive clothing item to purchase and repurchase if the shirt becomes stained or torn.

The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC, USA, displays one of the first printed T-Shirts made in America. It is from the 1948 presidential campaign. It is a shirt supporting Thomas Dewey, New York’s governor at the time. The slogan reads, “Dew it with Dewey.”

There are many types of contests that giveaway t-shirts, as well as contests for the most t-shirts worn by a single person at one time. The record number of shirts is held by Aaron Waltke, who was able to put on t-shirts 160 shirts.

(c)Zac Nelson, www.sxc.hu/