History & culture

A machine patented by Eli Whitney in 1794 that mechanically separated cotton fibers from seeds, dramatically increasing cotton production and, in the American South, entrenching slave labor on plantations.

A mechanical loom attachment invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1804 that used punched cards to control individual warp threads, enabling complex woven patterns and influencing early computing.

American company founded in San Francisco in the 1850s; with tailor Jacob Davis it patented riveted denim work trousers in 1873, creating what became known as blue jeans.

DuPont's trademark name for spandex, an elastic polyurethane fiber developed by Joseph Shivers and launched in 1958, which revolutionized fitted and stretch clothing from swimwear to leggings.

A semi-synthetic fiber made from regenerated cellulose, developed in the late 19th century and marketed from the 1920s as 'artificial silk' for its lustrous drape at lower cost than real silk.

The processing of sheep's fleece into yarn and cloth was a foundation of medieval and early modern European economies, particularly in England and Flanders, before mechanization in the Industrial Revolution.