A Brief History of Underwear
The Book of Unusual Knowledge
From fig leaves to bloomers to thongs, people have covered themselves a little or a lot. Here is a brief history of the undergarment.
The earliest and most simple undergarment was the loincloth- a long strip of material worn between the legs and around the waist. King Tutankhamun was buried with 145 of them, but the style didn't go out with the Egyptians: Loinclothes are still worn in many Asian and African cultures.
Men in the Middle Ages were loose, trouser-like undergarments called braies, which one stepped into and tied around the waist and legs about mid-calf. To facilitate urination, berets were fitted with a codpiece - a flap that buttoned or tied closed.
Medieval women wore a close fitting undergarment called a chemise, and corsets began to appear appear in the 18th century. Early versions of the corset were designed to flatten a woman's bustline, but by the late 1800s, they were altered to give women an exaggerated hourglass shape.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, chastity was a big concern for married or committed couples. During that time, many inventors received patents for "security underwear" for men. These devices were meant to assure "masculine chastity." They ensured that men refrained from sexual relations with anyone other than the person with the key to open their particular device.
The thong made its first public US appearance at the 1939 World's Fair, when New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia required nude dancers to cover themselves, if only barely.
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