Open Skulls

I, for one, love pocket T-shirts. They're perfect for people who wear eyeglasses, like me (because I cannot see a thing without them). But glasses are not what they were originally designed to carry. In fact, it was ci******es — and the pocket matched the precise measurements of the most popular box.

It's safe to say the tiny pocket isn't original to the T-shirt, however, since the product only hit the mass market as recently as the mid-50s. Chest pockets appeared on a top layer invented — and patented — two decades prior. Then, T-shirts were not something to be worn alone, but rather under a "union suit," a one-piece coverall workers wore year-round. It was most commonly made from wool and thus far too hot to wear in the summer months. Fed up with overheating, the story goes, someone cut the garment in half, leaving the top long enough to tuck it into the bottom. A-ha, the T-shirt was born.

But not so fast; wearing one on its own was still taboo. In fact, it was outlawed in some states. That was until it became standard issue in America's armed forces. In 1904, Army supplier Cooper Underwear advertised its "bachelor undershirt," a T-shaped shirt with a stretchy neck and a henley-like button configuration. But by 1915 the military abandoned buttons, because soldiers lacked sewing skills ...

When Was the Pocket T-Shirt Invented? The simple style first offered a spot for the wearer to store ci******es.