Fast Facts About Ties

Ties have been one of the most popular gifts for dads in the nearly 100 years that Father's Day has been celebrated. Where did they come from? Read on to learn more about the origins of ties and other fascinating facts.

In the Beginning: The first known ties were found in China in first emperor Shih Huang Ti's mausoleum. The emperor had requested that his famed army be buried with him. Luckily for the soldiers, the emperor was talked out of slaughtering his army and life-size terracota replicas took their place in his tomb when he was buried in 210 B.C. When discovered in 1974, each soldier was found to have a type of cloth around his neck. The Chinese did not wear ties in this time period, so it's assumed that the addition of neck cloths was meant to honor the soldiers.

We Say Tie, They Say Cravat: French for tie, the cravat was introduced to the French Royal Court around 1660. Croatian mercenaries were asked to visit court so Louis XIV could thank them for a victory over the Hapsburg empire. The king and his court were so taken by the colorful kerchiefs the mercenaries wore, that they began wearing them too. Some believe that the word cravat is derived from the word Croat. But there's evidence that the word cravat was used a few hundred years earlier.

Birth of the Bolo: The first bolo was created by silversmith Victor Cedarstaff in Arizona in the 1940s. After his hat blew off one day, he removed the hatband and placed it around his neck. Voila! The bolo was born. Arizonans take their bolos very seriously: It was named the official state neckwear by the Arizona State Legislature in 1971.

Lots of Knots: Through mathematical modeling, two researchers from Cambridge University discovered that there are 85 different ways to tie a conventional tie. However, there are four knots that are most commonly used: the four-in-hand, the Pratt, the half-Windsor and the Windsor. Learn how to tie a tie.

Tie Quote: Broadcast journalist Linda Ellerbee once mused, "If men can run the world, why can't they stop wearing neckties? How intelligent is it to start the day by tying a little noose around your neck?"

A Sort of Rebuttal: Author Michael Solomon wrote of ties in 'Chic Simple,' "They are not particularly comfortable. They always go out of style (or back in as soon as we have thrown them out). And they are not even practical. Yet the tie remains an essential part of a man's wardrobe because it unites all the elements of a man's outfit, giving him instant respectability and, above all, it is the ultimate symbol of individuality."

Sources Used:

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/tie1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TIES