T-shirts have an interesting history that most people are simply not aware of. T-shirts were not always the accepted fashion accessory that they are today, and t-shirts hardly even existed in such a form throughout most of human clothing history. In fact, there is simply no other item of clothing like t-shirts that have had such political and social influence. The t-shirt has represented revolution, and caused much upheaval. Throughout history, t-shirts have been used to thrust an idea or a message into the public eye, and this continues with t-shirts today in many forms and ways.

The history of t-shirts starts with the English Industrial Revolution, which included mass production and, subsequently, international trade on a level never seen before. Before this time, people wore hand-stitched clothes made from materials found locally. There were no slogans or statements on these clothes, and 'designer' clothes were only for royalty or the rich. Clothes were made for practicality- to protect the body and keep people warm. There were garments with short sleeves at this time, but they're not really considered to be part of the history of t-shirts.

During the industrial revolution, cotton was found to be ideal as a material worn underneath the clothes, to protect the body from the scratching and itching caused by the hard clothes of the day. Thus, underwear was born and t-shirts along with it, but t-shirts were only seen as under-garments or underwear. It would remain this way for quite some time.

In the 20^th century, manual laborers in Southern Europe began to wear only their t-shirts during hot summer days. In America, it was a similar situation, except the vest was more popular. However, t-shirts gradually began to be seen as more acceptable to wear in public. T-shirts didn't take off in America yet, though, until WWI when American soldiers saw the European soldiers wearing light and cool t-shirts on the hot summer days.

Still, t-shirts remained as an undergarment until the days of actors like John Wayne and James Dean, who shocked the nation by wearing their 'underwear' (ie, their t-shirts) on the Big Screen for all to see. This was when t-shirts became a symbol of rebelliousness, made popular with the youth by actors like James Dean, who would wear only t-shirts and jackets with jeans. This image of t-shirts carried over into the 60's, as people began tie dying their t-shirts and screen printing designs and slogans onto their t-shirts. The thriving music scene, who represented the youth in many ways, soon caught on and began selling t-shirts with their band names on or revolutionary slogans. This carried on over to the 70's and has developed into what we know as t-shirts today. Today, most would never dream that the simple design of t-shirts could be as offensive as it was just a few decades ago, as t-shirts have become part of normal culture.