Talk:Union suit

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what is the origin of the union suit? does anyone have any idea why a union suit is called such? My roommate and i have had a somewhat major fight over the issue. I have aruged the Union suit is called such because it unites both the top and the bottom, it is both a shirt and pants. My roommate who owns a union suit and champions wearing is properly, not undergarment necessary or even desired, argues that the union army in the civil war began the tradition and that is where the name comes from. If anyone has any informaion it would be greatly appreciated and will bring much needed peace to my home. In all reality, we both made up or theories for the naming of the suit and are involved in a pride war for who is right.

"In 1891, the Northwestern Knitting Company introduced another breakthrough product, the one-piece, full-length union suit seen in thousands of period films and photos. The union suit, also known as long johns, enjoyed great success for many years and later became standard issue for U.S. soldiers in World War I." from - http://www.premiumwear.com/content.m/about/history

AND

"The Industrial Revolution with the invention of water-powered spinning machines and the ¹cotton gin¹ made cotton fabrics widely available and saw the beginning of mass-produced underwear. For the first time, people began buying undergarments in stores rather than making them at home. The standard undergarment of this period for men, women, and children was the Œunion suit¹, which provided coverage from the wrists to the ankles. The union suits of the era were usually made of knitted material and included a drop flap in the back to ease visits to the toilet. Because the top and bottom were united as a one-piece garment it received the name Œunion suit¹. Hanes opened several mills producing 'union suits'. Originally made with ankle length legs and long sleeves, later versions were available in knee length versions with or without sleeves.

The name 'Long Johns', long skin-tight underpants, was actually first used for the long underwear issued to American soldiers during World War Two. The name is derived from the old boxing gear worn by John L. Sullivan, who was a boxer in the late 1880s, the height of his career being 1882-92." from - http://manstouch.com/mensunderwear/historyofmensunderwear.html

I've a certain amount trouble believing that the same underwear was worn all winter. Underwear starts to smell really bad after a few days--after months it would be truly disgusting.