• Sponsorship

• A fun fact inspired by a recent Globle answer

• Answers to last week's games

• A Chronogram update

Riga to Reno: the origin of jeans

When anyone thinks of blue jeans, they think of Levi Strauss & Co. Since their debut in 1873, Levi’s have become the gold standard in denim trousers. However, very few people know the real origin story of America’s go to fashion statement. Some tell of a tale of a civil war veteran or a gold prospect inventing the first pair of Levi’s. In fact, the original template for these pants was created by a tailor from Latvia (Globle answer for April 8).

Like so many people seeking a better life, the Latvian Jewish tailor Jacob Davis reached New York in a ship’s steerage in 1854. After relocating to Reno, Nevada, Davis opened a tailor shop and one day stumbled upon a brilliant idea that would not only change his life but change the world of fashion forever. One day, a customer in his tailor shop asked him to create a pair of durable trousers for her husband. Davis experimented with duck cloth and discovered an ingenious approach to reinforcing the weak points in the seams and pockets—creating a unique copper rivet to strengthen the joins. The copper-riveted “blue jeans” were a hit.

Davis soon approached his textile supplier, Levi Strauss, to partner with him in mass producing the pants. In 1873, the two men received a U.S. patent for their "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings." The rest, as they say, is history. In addition to the copper rivets, Levi’s added their trademark orange threaded seam to stand apart from competitors. The reinforced copper-riveted pants originally designed as strong pants for the working man have become synonymous with self-expression. The Levi’s brand is now a global leader in fashion and the dominant supplier of jeans worldwide, thanks to an immigrant from Latvia, Jacob Davis—the mystery man behind the “& Co.” that graces every pair.

Answers to last week's games

Monday, April 8 to Sunday, April 14.

Linxicon

The following are the shortest paths from last week:

• #56 light -> contrast -> versus -> despite -> though

• #57 math -> law -> permit

• #58 ring -> engagement -> commitment -> choice -> either -> nor

• #59 exciting -> opening -> gaping -> mouth

• #60 because -> causes -> sickness -> recovery -> restore

• #61 please -> request -> add -> addition -> combination

• #62 display -> manifestation -> spirit -> soul

• #63 Play now!

Forgeous

Bouguereau, William-Adolphe. Breton Brother and Sister. 1871, oil paint on canvas, 129.2 x 89.2 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The Met, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435754.

Play Forgeous for April 15.