Some people might consider it useful, while others might find it annoying. Do you think you know why the small pocket on your jeans has originally been sewn on your jeans? No, not to keep your petty cash in. The explanation is quite different.
Created by Levi Strauss, jeans have been enjoying huge success ever since they appeared in 1853, but there are very few people who know about the reason why the small pocket, sometimes called the fifth pocket, was sewn on this garment.
Even though nowadays it is used to hold pennies, chewing gum or a cigarette lighter, its initial role was another one. The 1850’s were the years of the gold rush, and jeans were made especially for gold seekers. Small pockets in those times had a very clear use: they were sewn on to hide gold nuggets.
The small pocket has survived up to our days, and nowadays each one of us uses it at will, or not at all.