MAY 20

Have you ever heard of Jacob Davis.  Well, he was an immigrant tailor who came to this country in 1854 at the age of 23.  He moved around this country and Canada doing various work in many cities.  In 1869, he settled in Reno, Nevada and set up a tailor shop.

Davis made tents, horse blankets and wagon covers.  He developed a method of reinforcing his stitching in heavy materials by using a copper rivet.  In the early 1870's, he began making heavy work pants with material purchased from Levi Strauss and Company. 

On this date in 1873, Jacob Davis and Levis Strauss were jointly awarded a patent for the copper rivet method of reinforcing stitching.  At the same time, Davis began stitching a distinctive design on the back pockets of all his jeans.  Strauss eventually set up a large shop and then a manufacturing plant in San Francisco to make these work pants which Davis managed until his death. 

Just think, instead of Levi's, you could be wearing a pair of Jacobs.  Some people become famous and some don't -  but all are important.

'o.o'