Fascinating facts about Levi Strauss co-inventor of Blue Jeans in 1873. AT A GLANCE:No item of clothing is more American than the blue jeans invented in 1873 by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss. These two visionary immigrants, turned denim, thread and a little metal into the most popular clothing product in the world. Waist overalls, was the traditional name for work pants, which is what these first blue jeans were called.


Inventor:
Levi Strauss (aka Loeb Strauss)

Criteria:
First to patent. First practical. Entrepreneur.

Birth:
February 26, 1829 in Buttenheim, Germany

Death:
September 27, 1902 in San Francisco, California

Nationality:
American (of German decent)
Invention:
blue jeans
Definition:
noun / waist overalls, jeans, Levi's®

Function:
Clothes, especially pants, that are usually close-fitting and created from the rugged cotton twill textile that is colored blue with indigo dye

Patent:
139,121 (US) issued May 20, 1873 for Fastening Pocket-Openings

DID YOU KNOW?:
An original pair of Levi's jeans is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

The word, 'jeans,' came from the cotton workpants worn by sailors from the port of Genoa, Italy, who were themselves known as Genes.

The jeans market has grown to be a $14.6 billion industry
On May 20, 1873, Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss received patent #139,121 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Levi's® 501® jeans are the original Shrink-To-Fit®, button-fly blue jeans first created in the 1800s. 501® jeans are the oldest and best selling product of Levi Strauss & Co. The number 501 was assigned to the jeans around 1890.

In 1885 a pair of Levi waist overalls cost $1.25. Brand new. By the turn of the century, the company charged $8.50 for a pair of blue jeans.
In 1997, Levi Strauss & Co. paid $25,000 for a pair of 100 year old jeans (for their museum) found in an old Colorado mine, which is the oldest known pair of Levi jeans.

Seven out of 10 Americans say jeans are their first pick for casual wear.

Levi Strauss & Co. currently makes 501® jeans in approximately 108 sizes and 20 finishes/fabrics.

A typical pair of Levi's® 501® jeans takes about 1 3/4 yards of denim, 213 yards of thread, five buttons and six rivets.