Inquiring minds want to know ...Why do the pants worn by US Navy sailors have 13 buttons?
The broadfall section of traditional bell-bottom pants is held in place by exactly 13 buttons, and many assume that the implements were designed by the US Navy to represent America's original 13 colonies. However, this is considered more of a sailor's tale.
The broadfall trousers originally had 15 buttons, but this was reduced to seven to save material. However, the sailors soon complained the section was too small. This was partly because diet changes led to weight gain, with others complaining about how uncomfortable it made their "equipment" feel.
The US Navy listened and made the broadfall bigger. With more material came the need for more buttons, resulting in six more being added, bringing the total to the 13 we see today. This number was likely chosen to maintain visual symmetry.
Other pieces of the US uniform had their uses, too. The neckerchief could be used as a headband or a cleaning cloth, and it also kept uniforms clean. Sailors in the 19th century typically sported long hair and, to keep it out of their way during tasks, it would be tied in a ponytail and stuck down with a sticky tar-like substance. Thus the reference to Sailors as "Tars" -- the neckerchief kept it off the rest of their uniform.
Like the "13 buttons, 13 colonies" explanation for the bellbottom pants, the neckerchief also has an alternative and unlikely origin. Allegedly, the fabric is a symbol to honor Horatio Nelson, with the three white lines representing his three major victories.
Who would have thought ....
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sidebar: when ever someone says "30 years ago..." I always think: "You mean, like 1974?" And when they look at me and say: "No... like 1994!" I can't help but feel like THAT can't add up. Happy Anniversary to Old Navy and Old Glory.