A Brief History of the T Shirt

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

10:15 The best product placement in the history of product placement. That was product placement that deserves to be remembered!

[@jme36053]

This episode of The History Guy is brought to you by… wait for it… The History Guy! An interesting way to shill your online merch - and better than any YT sponsored advert. Bravo!

[@danstotland6386]

Nein! he is entitled to at least two bravos.

[@CassieLopez]

What a fun episode! I'm old enough that I remember my choir director answering one of the singers when he asked if his t-shirt would qualify as a "white shirt" to be worn in a performance. The director said, "that's not a shirt, that's underwear."

[@Thanatos--]

At least THG has the decency to make a relevant video to plug their own merch.

[@y9y-f9q]

Born too late to explore the earth, too early to explore the stars, but just the right time to own like 100 death metal band shirts

[@charlesrainey1076]

Shameless plug? I think not. That's one to be proud of. Thank you history guy.

[@thebigdog2295]

Only The History Guy would wear a T-shirt designed to be worn under a dress shirt, over one. While plugging his own merch with style, unmatched by other KZbin channels. And the big grin on his face; priceless.😁

[@darrellcook8253]

I actually froze the video on that expression. He certainly loves his work and must be a fun guy to hang with. This is gold.

[@ScenicNsanity]

I thought he was wearing a blue sweater until he stood up hahaha

[@douglasgriswold2533]

I can relate. I'm 66. I have literally HUNDREDS of T-shirts I have collected over the years, from old employers, concerts, travels abroad, and about anywhere in the US I've visited. I've run out of space to keep them and I try to rotate wearing them.....I should catalog them....

[@petuniasevan]

I wear them at home, to work, for shopping, casual dining, and just walking around the neighborhood. Long live the T-shirt!

[@jcrosset]

For what it is worth… I think a “Brief History of Blue Jeans” would be quite something of a follow up on this sort on this topic. 🤷😉👍❤️ Would especially appreciate the though history on that subject of clothing that is just as under appreciated as this subject of modern clothing you just covered. Very informative. 🙏

[@mikelakner5622]

I'm three seconds in and need to comment that I totally trust The History Guy to make a mundane topic like t-shirts interesting. I've poured my coffee and kicked off my shoes. I'm ready to be enlightened. 😊

[@mikelakner5622]

After watching this through, I must say that I am not disappointed. Bravo Zulu.

[@sinisterthoughts2896]

I mean, what's the point of making this comment?

[@GeomancerHT]

What's the point of yours? XD

[@notahotshot]

​@@sinisterthoughts2896they made their comment in order to trigger the scripted NPC dialog. You did not disappoint.

[@HM2SGT]

​@@notahotshot😹👍 Author! Author!

[@manuelacosta9463]

From world changing events to more obscure and mundane historical subjects The History Guy sure delivers.

[@costrio]

Does anybody remember "Happy Days" and "The Fonz" wearing a leather jacker and a T-shirt? He was iconic in his realm of fantasy. Good episode, IMO.

[@3DThrills]

Winkler was forbidden from wearing the leather jacket unless his motorcycle was also in the scene.

[@wheelieblind]

that was one of my favorite shows growing up.

[@judianneREPPUCCI]

happy to see your kittie made it to a tshirt

[@beckybanta126]

How the T-shirt came to be & is here to stay was most interesting! Thank you for you even thinking of this + all your research to share.😊

[@nedludd7622]

In France in the 19th century there was a precursor that workers wore called a débardeur, marcel, or maillot. You can see that in films with Yves Montand like "Salary of Fear". There is also a famous photo of Clark Gable in one when he joined the army.

[@sparkyfromel]

in the late 19th century , fishermen from Brittany wore "mariniere" with blue horizontal stripes this was adopted by the French Navy as a work wear , the Czar quite liked it and it was adopted by the Russian navy , called the Telnyashka the Russian and Soviet marines wore it and it became an iconic look worn under the jacket instead of a shirt and became the sign for tough guys

[@davidkermes376]

clark gable once caused sales of t-shirts to plummet. in the movie, "it happened one night" he removed his dress shirt to reveal - a bare male torso! t-shirts disappeared!

[@earlewhitcher970]

I'd estimate that I have been "living" in tee shirts for the last sixty years. I chose a vocation that allowed me to work in my much beloved tee shirts. The tee shirt is so much a part of my wardrobe that my friends and family know instantly when I am "dressed up" because my shirt has a collar on it.

[@SamEllington-p2b]

i love this channel. It makes me feel like my grandpa is telling me stories from his youth while i'm at my family home during xmas

[@donalddodson7365]

One of the very first KZbin content producers I started supporting on Patreon. Thank you Team THG for the many hours of educational entertainment! My "hats off" 😂 for "teeing up" another solid "stroke" for a "hole in one" episode. 😊

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Thank you! Much appreciated!

[@johndough1703]

Thank you for donating to this great historian!

[@shantanusapru]

You tend to come up with the most unique, quirky, weird, eccentric and, obviously, very interesting, topics!! Very different from most history-related channels here on YT! Keep up the good work!!

[@OrionFyre]

What a wonderful video. Who would have thought that something as simple as a t'shirt could have such a riveting history that does indeed deserve to be remembered.

[@InsanityIslandToons]

Shameless Merch Plugs that deserve to be remembered! My fav is the one that just says THG . . . . that's the one where somebody walks up to you and says "History Guy! High Five!" and you both know you're in the History Guy Club! LoL

[@hbwblacksmithing]

One of the best pitches ever at the end I love it

[@paulwoida8249]

James Dean 's outfit for Rebel Without A Cause is the inspiration for the outfit wore by Philip Fry in Futurama.

[@CthulhuInc]

HAHAHA i like your plug at 10:15 - nice one!

[@jvleasure]

I would argue that you left out two important names from the 50s-60s.... Ed Roth and his Rat Fink / monster shirts made a very significant impact as did Von Dutch (the man, not the overpriced hipster jean company) with his abstract airbrushed shirts.

[@alwenke212]

Von Duch and the "flying eyeball" ,,,, Ed and the Rat,,, and California car and bike culture,, what great times !

[@danbardos3498]

Never heard of 'em. I would like to know more.

[@thechancellor3715]

As a wee lad of 4 in 1951 the summer outfit was a "tricot" sp?...it was bssic tee shirt cut with vari-colored horizontal stripes tucked into shorts...that was styling back in the day cruising on the all steel Junior tricycle.

[@andrewfischer48]

In Queens NY there was a school dress code untill 77? I remember the first t-shirt I wore to public school was a 6 million dollar man shirt since then I hardly ever wear a collard shirt

[@Law0086]

Just waiting for the Brief history on Briefs.

[@davea6314]

I prefer wearing my 15th century style tunic and manly hose with enormous codpiece instead of my modern T-shirt and jeans. 😊

[@sinisterthoughts2896]

Don't forget a set of intimidating high heels!

[@davea6314]

@@sinisterthoughts2896 Men's fashion in 15th century Europe did NOT include high heels. High heels were in fashion in the 17th and 18th centuries for some male members of the aristocracy of Europe.

[@mrwaterschoot5617]

history guy you did not mention a niche market the pocket tee shirt. l like pockets to hold small parts pens pencils ... since i forget about ink devices i also like pocket protectors. and my brother gave me a pocket leather pocket protector wit a spot for the badge for defense contractor an identification badges. how about the sleeve less tees. my dad wore them. then there are the tank tops. t tee tea shirts are great promotional items low cost gifts with the help of inflation . t shirts make great stocking stuffers grease rags car polishes you buy them to support local business and the are great gifts like ties were ind the business formal days. johnny cash was the man in black and steve jobs whore his black outfit business casual with long sleeve tshirt. or whatever he called it. t shirts are billboards for concert goers fund raisers a way to support the efforts of utubefrs like the history guy. hey history guy you the top shirt presentation. how about the lower portion bikini bottom briefs boxers speedo trunks and the like. i bet you could lalk about logger long johns and the back flap as an escape hatch for crap and dreaded diarrhea. it was cold in the days of old. some were cotton some were flannel and some were wooly woolly to wick sweat in freezing weather history guy thanks for sharing the information and the memories. happy holidays..

[@stuartriefe1740]

@@davea6314 I assume you like Medieval Renaissance Faires like myself and my family does, M’Lord? Huzzah!!

[@MBMCincy63]

😂👍🏻👍🏻

[@cinemaipswich4636]

As a modern "Youth" in the 1970's I wore a white T shirt, Levi's, white sand shoes and a Grey Flannel Christian Dior Sports Jacket. Smooooth.

[@angieallen7363]

I own over 50 T Shirts and I love to wear them! They, along with jeans, are my “uniform of the day”.

[@tomh6183]

Same here and I expect to be buried in my Allman Brothers T shirt

[@JimmyMon666]

Of course funny enough, being in the Navy got me out of the habit of wearing t-shirts as outer wear. Since in many ports, we were required to wear "collared shirts", we couldn't leave the ship in t-shirts in many ports. So that got me in the habit of wearing collared shirts all the time. I generally only wear t-shirts at home or when hiking.

[@mikeoveli1028]

That was the very best pitch I have ever seen. Think you for all of your shows and this may be my favorite.

[@dabigkahunacatfish2992]

That lil' shameless plug when talking about what you can "buy on line" was absolutely priceless, LMAO! So much so l had to back a watch it again. lt reminded me of the local used car salesman TV commercials. BIG SMILE! LOL.

[@hyderhode]

One day a few years ago my nonagenarian mother suddenly said, "I don't know why everybody wears T-shirts now; they don't look good on anybody." That really brought me to the realization of how reletively recent this garment is.

[@george2113]

People got tired of uncomfortable garmets

[@josephkrumroy4730]

Shameless simply shameless what a way to plug your merchandise, ;) ha ha love it. Love watching your chanel. As always looking forward to the next episode.

[@e.f.3207]

Fantastic topic! You do such a good job with these videos, thank you 🙏

[@hiddenwings91]

This is actually mind-blowing... I will forever remember this.

[@Bobalicious]

Many decades ago, I remember seeing a drawing of 'Floyd the barber' from '"The Andy Griffith Show" on a pink T-shirt. Very smart, very cool.

[@joanhoffman3702]

Clark Gable famously did not wear an undershirt/t-shirt in the undressing scene in “It Happened One Night” (one of my favorite films) and sales for that garment dropped, or so I’ve been told.

[@jppitman1]

For some time I wondered when T shirts started to become mini billboards. Then we came across a picture of my Dad from probably 1941 or 42 where the T shirt reads “Dartmouth Fossil Expedition II”. That may have been his 1942 trek to Doc Knight`s Geology Camp in the Medicine Bows outside Laramie, WY where he met a woman (part of the camp`s staff) who in 1943 became his wife. My Mother liked to say, “Your father went west looking for fossils…and he found one!” [He eventually went into uranium geology.]

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Hey History Guy,🤓 I am fold😅16 t shirts 👕 as I began this video. As usual simpatico! 💯

[@J.A.Smith2397]

My mans keeping it popping

[@isleifoterogarcia4478]

I already wear one when watching your video. Thanks for the story.

[@askmitch]

I started thinking of this subject when I was high one day, and for a laugh I thought to KZbin search it. Turns out I'm not alone in my strange way of thinking!

[@leegoddard2618]

10:20 hilarious. Nice segue thg. 🤭👍

[@Alleged_Mercenary]

I remember T-Shirts being nice and thick now, unless you pay $30 for one it's just a very thin thing that lasts no time.

[@tacomas9602]

That's actually an advantage to me, I absolutely despise thick t shirts especially during the ridiculously hot months. Two thin t shirts in the summer and it wicks the sweat away and keeps me cool much better.

[@othgmark1]

Hanes beefy t is what you are looking for.

[@BigElCat]

You Sir, are too modest. I have the THG T-shirt in the middle. We are the 21st century 'James Deans'. First the cool, now THIS. 🤩 An exponential unfolding of cool.

[@williamthethespian]

Great show, however I missed the explanation of, why the letter T ? Was it abbreviation for tunic , or...somethings else ?

[@HM2SGT]

Yes, you missed it. It was possibly a novel by F Scott Fitzgerald that introduced the word

[@lizj5740]

According to Oxford Languages (Google's dictionary): "a short-sleeved casual top, generally made of cotton, having the shape of a T when spread out flat."

[@meedwards5]

Awesome merch! I just added some to my Christmas wish list😊

[@BasicDrumming]

I appreciate you and thank you for making content.

[@helenel4126]

Being a student of fashion history, it appears to me that a good way to predict the clothes of the next generation of adults is to look at what those adults wore as children.

[@JeffreyGlover65]

Nothing beats a good fitting T-shirt. I have some that are 30yrs old 😎

[@stevedietrich8936]

Not sure if I have any that old, but I've got a lot of favorite shirts that are over 10, and in fact have one on as I type this.

[@JeffreyGlover65]

@@stevedietrich8936 my old tee's are thin and frayed, dont fit as good, but they have sentimental value. Nothing feels better than putting on a comfy tee 😎

[@mikepj67]

Have one from the planetarium in Chicago visited 94’

[@ingridfong-daley5899]

I still wear my Junior Beta Club t-shirt from 8th grade that i never outgrew... I just can't believe the print never wore off--it's 35 years old!

[@tacomas9602]

​@stevedietrich8936 I've got a johnny cash t shirt I picked up maybe from an old navy or Walmart YEARS ago in elementary school, and I still have it ten years or more later. Got it when I was a kid, got it oversized but it still fits me. I was a fat kid lol

[@charles-y2z6c]

0:54 What I would do to fill a t shirt out like that

[@HM2SGT]

*I remember when it used to be frowned upon to wear one outside of the most casual environments; now they've become everyday & de riguer*

[@Jack-xo2zp]

Society keeps sliding downhill.

[@jhonyermo]

@@Jack-xo2zp What a totally GOOFY thing to say About a Mike Foxtrotting T-shirt. Give me a break.

[@Ivehadenuff]

I loved this episode!

[@ddp050201]

ok. Now do one on ties!

[@RetiredSailor60]

Good Friday morning History Guy and everyone watching. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, if celebrated. Have a nice weekend.

[@ArachneAnathema]

For more interesting history on the t-shirt, I recommend “The Travels of a T-sort in the Global Economy” by Pietra Rivoli. While it could be a text book in a number of college courses, (written by a college professor, who did some extensive research for the book) it reads like a mystery novel.

[@13thravenpurple94]

Excellent video 👍 Thank you 💜

[@LymanPhillips]

Growing up in the late 70s, punkers loved ripped jeans, a white tshirt and a leather motorcycle jacket. A classic combo for almost any decade.

[@aussiebloke609]

Love the not-so-subtle product promotion. Say it with a cheeky grin and it's all good. 👍

[@unclenogbad1509]

While obviously popularised in the USA, and spread world-wide by the US Navy, the T-shirt (I wonder were I could buy one?) also has an origin story in the British Navy. Back in Victorian times, it became fashionable for genteel ladies and gents to visit the Navy dockyards (cf HMS Pinafore) to learn and show appreciation. As any sailor will tell you, naval ships in dock aren't at rest, they undergo massive overhauls, repairs, etc, all of which work is heavy, dirty and sweaty. The crew would be in what now we'd now call 'fatigues': bellbottoms and a singlet (ie, a sleeveless vest). Thing is, when visitors come aboard, RN tradition is for the crew to raise their caps and give three cheers. Hence the adoption of the 'cap-sleeve vest' (I wonder where I could buy one of those?) to protect fine ladies from the sight of hairy sailors' armpits. As I say, that's the lore - fully plausible, but I can't nail down any definite proof. On the other hand, I could buy a T-shirt. Where from, I wonder?

[@mommyjsj]

Thanks for NOT forgetting the Bow-Tie

[@oliveoil2x]

Awesome merch! Great designs! 🎄

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the lesson.

[@Staravora]

Every time I think am I getting too old to wear band t-shirts, I think nah and buy another one at the next concert I go to

[@theresehopkins1581]

Could you please get the "from chickens to screwdrivers" tee back in stock??? I simply have to get it, along with the cat tee one!!! We have a couple of tuxedo kitties!! Thank you!! And, as always, love your videos!!!!😊❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@KraftyKreator]

Especially good episode. 😊

[@matthewhuntingtonb]

Thank you Lance! Great episode! :-)

[@dennisud]

I'll definitely get something from your online store for Christmas! 🥳

[@mattgeorge90]

Excellent episode ❤

[@stevedietrich8936]

Still lookin' for that blue jean baby queen, Prettiest girl I ever seen, See her shake on the movie screen, Jimmy Dean . . . James Dean Rock On History Guy!

[@goodun2974]

"You were the low down rebel if there ever was/even if you had no cause/James Dean/ You said it all so clean/and I know my life would look all right/ if I could see it on the silver screen.... Well, talk about a low down bad refrigerator/you were just too cool for school/ Sock hop, soda pop, basketball and auto-shop/ the only thing that got you off was breakin' all the rules/ James Dean....." the Eagles (from way back when they were still worth listening to). And then there's this from Richard Thompson: "What a fool I was/what a thin disguise/ Brando Mumble, Mingus Eyes....There was a time she fell/ but then she got wise/ Brando Mumble, Mingus Eyes..... Never had the squint of James Dean/or the Stanislovsky tears/ or the rebel hunch that kills/ or the smile that slowly disappears..... What a fool I was/what a thin disguise /Brando Mumble, Mingus Eyes..." . One of Thompson's weirder songs (which is saying something) and one of his best.....

[@goodun2974]

The early 70s music scene was delightfully weird. Who among the younger generations would ever think that you could actually hear a strangely orchestrated song like David Essex' "Rock On" being played on AM radio in the 70s?

[@jenniferkane7340]

History guy you're funny😂 I absolutely love your videos ❤

[@jackieheidorn5875]

The T-shirt has become such an integral part of our culture that T-Shirt quilts have become an "asked for" item to celebrate graduations, weddings, and retirements.

[@honodle7219]

Lol i can't stop laughing at the shameless T-shirts plugs for your own merch. Well done. The beefcake at the beginning was pretty exciting too!

[@flkoolguy]

Fantastic video. Your silly and shameless plug for your merch had me laughing.

[@toneman501]

Have you got any tye - dyed ones ?

[@brianfitzpatrick1215]

I have a power rangers T from the mid 90s. I feel old

[@maxtew6521]

Okay, I finally get it, THG just looks around his bedroom and says, "T-SHIRTS! Yep, history of t-shirts is the next one." And, boy, am I glad he does it.

[@ScoutSniper3124]

I ordered one of your sweatshirts, with joy I opened the package only to be crestfallen it was sized for a child. If only I had known, I would have ordered it in Giant.

[@corey57255]

The opening made me laugh a little cuz I’m sure the tshirt can be found on people in every culture there is except the most remote and un-contacted peoples

[@alfinpogform4774]

As an Australian, I wear my T-Shirt in the lift, in the lorry, in the bond wizard, and all over the malonga gilderchuck.

[@Dr_Do-Little]

Somehow remind me of my PS@Home years! The dreaded free T-shirt. 😆 I owned quite a few "favorite T-shirts". They went from precious and taken care of to worn to "work and undergarment". I remember this young fellow making fun of the holes in my worn down Pink Floyd T. I told him this shirt is young enough to drink in the States. (I'm Canadian.). He was under 21.

[@plane_simple]

1:37 Introducing the History Guy's great-grandfather...

[@mikenixon2401]

A nice lesson. Something different. Thanks.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Finally I can get official History Guy 🤓shirts. 👕 So I don't have to wear my homemade High Guy shirts. Now I can direct others to your store. You would like my personal shirts 👕

[@williamdonnelly224]

Incredibly interesting, and very cool as well!

[@gregolder1713]

The design T-shit as a popular teen wardrobe item was popularized in the '60s in California by "Big Daddy" Roth who stuck a variety of images (most notably his Rat parody of Mickey Mouse) onto shirts and sold them at hot rod rallies and car shows which in turn inspired Robert Crumb and other underground cartoon artist to do the same

[@celiaengland871]

by the looks of the thumbnail, History Guy's been hitting the gym! F around with history and find out!

[@thesquigglespin]

Love that shameless plug. LOL A screen-shot-able moment indeed. 😁

[@stevedietrich8936]

Good morning THG

[@goodun2974]

As they say, fashion is fleeting: "She gets her suits from her personal friend, Coco the clown/ turns a dustman's jacket inside out, and it's a party gown/ If it's bouffons, shes got bouffons/ if it's tat she's got tat/ She got hoochie coochie Gucci, and a pom-pom hat...... She's got everything a girl could need/she's a tribal animal yes indeed/ but she hasn't got A Bone Through Her Nose, through her nose /she hasn't got a Bone Through Her Nose...." Richard Thompson

[@HM2SGT]

See also: Cole Porter - Anything Goes

[@pablobruning4508]

You aught to hawk bow ties, Mr. Geiger! Your a great model or them.

[@richardroberts998]

My mother was at ground zero a few hrs prior to the explosion as she used to deliver the post to the farm and the children would walk back to the village with mother to go to school,my mother was 17 at the time being 18 the following day. My grandfather was actually working under ground at the time on the mining side he survived,my grandmother who was quite ill at the time and was bed ridden managed to get out the house and survived by going in to a cow shed, what' I I should of mentioned that my family was in the village of Hanbury which is situated above failed, sadly my mum ida Roberts passed away some years ago and she was a top lady and a brilliant mother,there is another story which is ref to this subject which very few know about and was told to me by me mum it involves the discovery of a parachute in a field which went unreported and the material being used to make clothing (silk)

[@paulsmodels]

Over the Thanksgiving holiday we drove through the place on the highway where James Dean crashed. Sadly, none of us were wearing T-Shirts at the time. 😢

[@hlynnkeith9334]

6:25 The image of the airplane on the T-shirt confuses me. The drop tanks suggest that the airplane is a P-47 Jug razorback, but the wing mounting is wrong (mid vs low) and the engine cowling is wrong for a Jug. The wing mounting and wing drop tanks are wrong for an F6F Hellcat. I have seen photos of a Hellcat with a drop tank but always a belly tank. The folding mechanism in the wings of Navy planes did not support wing-mounted drop tanks. The F4F Hellcat had a mid wing mounting but the retracted gear would be visible in the fuselage and again the drop tanks are wrong. What plane is this?

[@Pygar2]

"Chuck, is that you?"

[@daviddunn1377]

As an aside, Fonzi was famous for portraying a rebel in a leather jacket but earlier in the series he sports a more Dean-like light blue windbreaker.

[@emmahill6832]

Best commercial ever