T-SHIRTS

History of the AmericanT-Shirt!
Comfort is the number-one reason cited by survey-takers for loving their T-shirts. Who created the first T-Shirt? We know that the cavemen did not wear T-Shirts. And the creator of the t-shirt will never get proper credit for their name is lost in history. The predecessor of the American T-Shirt according to historians was most likely the tunic. The tunic has its roots in ancient Egypt according to historians. This is the same garment that the Pharaohs wore. The Romans brought this clothing back to Italy with them from Egypt. This point about T-shirts is extremely important because Rome is considered the fashion industry capital. Even though the T-shirt first appeared in 1880 as an undergarment in the U.S. Navy sailor uniform(made of wool), the t-shirt is not really recognized for its potential until WWI. During WWI, American Doughboy soldiers observed that the European soldiers were wearing a light weight cotton undershirt that appeared to be more comfortable than their wool undershirts during the summer time. These undershirts were give the name T-SHIRTS(due to their "T" shaped silhouette) and quickly adopted by the American forces. Far from being a seldom seen piece of underwear, it proved to be practical and comfortable outerwear as well, during informal events such as baseball games. News Reels and movies began pouring into the home front showing the GI's fighting, working, and playing in their t-shirts. The once hidden T-shirt was coming out on its own, and Americans were quickly becoming accustomed to seeing men wearing T-shirts as outer garments. In the 1920's, "t-shirt" had become an official word in the American English language with it's inclusion in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. WWII saw the official adoption by the US Government of the t-shirt, when they were issued to soldiers and seamen as part of their "standard issue" uniform. These servicemen would return home and really introduce the T-Shirt into American Fashion. Hollywood inadvertantly became the next big T-shirt promoter. John Wayne, Marlon Brando and James Dean all shocked Americans by wearing their t-shirts on national TV. In 1951, Marlon Brando shocked Americans in his film "A Streetcar Named Desire" when his T-Shirt was ripped off of his body. In the 1950's the T-shirt this symbol of toughness was worn by "holligans". This minor fact is highlighted by the fact that the "Fonz" character in the 1970’s tv show "Happy Days" is always wearing a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket. In the 1959 movie, "Breathless", Jean Seberg, a woman, wore a t-shirt on screen, this was the first time a woman was ever seen wearing a tee shirt in the movies. More importantly the T-shirt bore an advertising copy for the "Herald Tribune", a popular English language newspaper of the time published in Paris, blazoned across it. Companies picked up on this new t-shirt advertising medium. The first American company to advertise on a T-shirt was Budweiser with a picture of a beer bottle. During the 1960's the t-shirt would get twisted in another direction when people started to "tie-dye" their plain white t-shirts in bright colors as a form of creative expression. The t-shirt now becomes recognized as a unisex garment. The 60's also saw another extremely important revolution in the t-shirt - Modern Screen Printing - emerges. The 1970’s, the wearing of T-shirts along with burning bras became a symbol of the women’s liberation movement and a way to express First Amendment Rights. During the 80's and 90's the production process of T-Shirts is refined, increasing the volume and availability of T-Shirts. Hanes a sponsor of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia and the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team. Hanes, auctions for various charities and UNICEF, limited edition t-shirts. The final t-shirt is auctioned for more than $42,001, the most expensive t-shirt ever. In the 21st century, t-shirts remain as popular as ever if not more so. JERZEES reports that, "Today, 91-percent of Americans profess to own a “favorite” T-shirt." It is no wonder that t-shirts are such a popular gift item for birthdays and Christmas.
It is often asked what is the most popular printed t-shirt of all time? I would have to say it is a "Rolling Stones t-shirt", the "tongue logo t-shirts" has sold strong worldwide for the past 30 years.

Sources: Jeerzes, Hanes