History

May 20, 1873: The Rivet Patent — How Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss Invented Jeans

Patent No. 139,121, granted May 20, 1873, is the legal document the denim industry calls the "birthday of jeans." But the first name on that patent isn't Levi Strauss — it's Jacob Davis, a Reno tailor who couldn't afford the $68 filing fee. Here's what the patent actually covered, and what the 17-year monopoly built.