Believe it or not, that camisole you are wearing has quite the history. Modern-day camisoles come from the historic chemise. Let’s take a closer look into the history of camisoles.

Chemises were originally worn by both men and woman. The “ancient” chemises were more specifically used as undergarments, worn always under the primary set of clothing. As the fashion world changed from medieval times, so did the chemise.

During the Renaissance period, the corset became a fashion “must-have.” The first corsets were worn under the chemise. It was only a matter of time, however, that the fashion industry (even then) began looking for a new solution to the chemise. Afterall, the corset became more elaborate and ornate. The long, thin chemise was not hiding the corset well, so a solution needed to be found.

The solution came during the Victorian era. It was the camisole. Can you believe that the camisole dates back to the Victorian period? Camisoles solved the chemise dilemma. Instead of being long and bulky, the camisole was light and short. Woman soon discovered that they could effectively hid their corsets without also adding weight: the chemise. Camisoles hid the corset well and also kept the illusion of being “thin.” Camisoles soon joined chemises in the fashion “must-have” category. Since panties had not yet been designed, both the camisole and chemises were used as undergarments.

Corsets were not used as widely during the turn of the 20th century, due to rising health concerns. Similarly, women began to enjoy athletics during this time. Thus, bloomers were designed to appeal to the athletic, yet still feminine, woman. “Teddies” became extremely popular because it combined the camisole and bloomers, attached into one piece.

It wasn’t until the 1920s that the teddy became divided into two pieces. Designers began experimenting with teddies… making them “sexier” (shorter, tighter, etc). The 1920’s era marked the beginning of modern-day camisole sets.

Since the 1920’s, the camisole has been taken from being an undergarment to being both an undergarment and outer garment. Camisoles are one of the most widely used staple wardrobe item among women of all ages and backgrounds. Truly, the camisole has come a long way since its origination during the medieval times and clearly defines femininity.

Historical records about the exact genesis place and form of the game of billiards is inaccurate and ambiguous. The word billiard is derived from the French word ‘Bille” meaning ball, referring to a game involving ball and stick, and “art” meaning the art of playing the game. Although the French have given new meaning and life to the game, refining, evolving and popularizing it, they cannot claim to have invented it. Billiards was played as an out door lawn game, resembling golf or croquet, in Northern Europe during the 1500 century.

The first actual evidence of billiards was found in the 1470 inventory of King Louis XI of France in the form of a billiard game board. However, lawn games t originated from bat and ball games played as early as the 1300 century. Historians are unclear about the reasons for the evolution of these games. Whether it was merely for entertainment or served some social or religious functions in ancient times is still an intriguing debate among historians.

Billiards graduated to indoor games and became popular among aristocrats and commoners in France by the mid 1500’s. Billiards a game of subtle physical deliverance, profound concentration and metal agility allowed fair play and equal footage to players of both sexes. By the mid 1600’s, the table version similar to today’s games appeared. The innovations of the cue, in the 1700’s, lead to the disappearance of the mace that was initially used. Soon, billiards acquired its status as a scientific game with precisely designed equipment, manufacturing plants for tables, standardized rules, etc.

The leather cue tip initially designed by Captain Minguard for protection of the cue added a new dimension to the game. By 1850’s, billiards invaded most of the world. In 1826, England’s John Thurstion changed the wooden game board to slate. By 1797, new fabric replaced cotton or wool to improve smoothness and friction. Balls evolved from wood to ivory to the present Colloidal coated plastic form by 1869.

Located in the Town of Southold on Long Island’s North Fork, Mattituck Air Base (21N) is the area’s only privately owned, public-use airfield, occupying 18 acres and offering a single 2,200- by 60-foot asphalt runway-in this case, 1/19. Approaches to the first of the two magnetic headings are conducted over the Great Peconic Bay.

Established in 1946 after Parker Wickham returned from his World War II duty of maintaining Army Air Corps airplanes at his Mojave Desert base, he was given 16 acres of his father’s farm for an airfield after his return home, because, according to his father’s assessment, “There’s no money in potatoes, anyhow.” Before the asphalt, the “runway” was nothing more than a strip of moved grass.

Aside from its use by private pilots who were able to land and base their aircraft near their North Fork homes, its principle, revenue-generating element was its engine repair and overhaul facility, which was sold in 1984, repurchased by family members four years later, and sold again in 1999 to Teledyne-Continental, which renamed it Teledyne-Mattituck Services on November 9 of that year.

As one of the northeast’s longest established piston engine overhaul repair shops, it operated as a subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies, Inc., leasing the building from the Wickham family. It was subsequently purchased by China-based AVIC International, at which time it was renamed Mattituck Services, employing 70 at a time during its peak, or some 350 per annum, and was responsible for at least a dozen engines per week, or more than 500 per year.

Continental Motors listed its activities as “engine overhauls built to factory service tolerances; factory engine sales and installation specialists; major powerplant and airframe maintenance; propeller maintenance and repair; your in-stock source for parts; 50-hour, 100-hour, and annual inspections; inspection repair programs; and fuel system calibration and adjustments.”

For the 12 months ended on September 27, 2007, the single-strip Mattituck Airport averaged 33 movements per day, or 12,200 per year, and counted 32 single-engine based aircraft.

After Parker Wickham passed in 2011, he ceded ownership to his son, Jay, and his wife, Cyndi, who maintained and operated the airfield for five years. But a decline in general aviation due to its ever-rising costs, leaving only a handful of airplanes still based there, and the closing of the repair shop in the summer of 2012, left him little choice but to sell the airport four years later, an intention he announced on June 3, 2016. Because of costly repairs, its fuel tanks had already been given to Albertson Marine, Inc., of Southold.

The Continental Motors’ shop itself, closed after four years of declining general aviation business and its inability to remain profitable with two separate facilities, was integrated with its Fairhope, Alabama, plant.

“Very bluntly, I think both of us and Lycoming have done a good job of pointing out the value of factory options and that has made a contribution across the board to the decline there,” according to Rhett Ross, Continental Motors’ CEO. “It was not an easy decision, but that facility has been marginal for at least the half decade.”

All 20 remaining employees were laid off.

While the Town of Southold deemed the purchase cost-prohibitive and its revenue potential minimal, “saviors” came in the form of Paul Pawlowski and Steve Marsh, partners in the Hudson City Savings Bank project on Main Road in Mattituck. Advising existing pilots to remove their aircraft by September 30 of 2016, they intended to excavate the runway and demolish all buildings, with the exception of the carriage house, the car barn, and the newest hangars, but otherwise keep the airfield as it had been.

Indianapolis-based American Trans Air, once an emerging carrier, continually searched for an identity.

Established in 1973 as an aircraft provider for the Ambassadair Travel Club, it inaugurated service with a single Boeing 720 dubbed “Miss Indy,” doubling its fleet five years later with a second, “Spirit of Indiana.” But its March 1981 issuance of common-carrier certification enabled it to operate in its own right.

Retaining its Indianapolis roots, it acquired ever larger aircraft, including eight 707s; its first widebody, a former Laker Airways DC-10-10 registered N183AT in 1983; and an ex-Northwest Orient DC-10-40, itself bearing registration N184AT. The quad-engine 707s were eventually replaced by more fuel efficient 727-100 tri-jets.

Annual passenger totals climbed: 96,426 in 1981, 269,086 in 1982, and 618,532 in 1983.

Relying upon Northwest for additional DC-10 acquisitions, but forced to substitute the comparable TriStar when it elected to retain its aircraft, American Trans Air purchased its first in 1985, ultimately operating 15 L-1011-1s, one -100, and four -500s.

It assumed a new operational profile when it inaugurated limited scheduled service on the JFK-Belfast-Riga (Latvia), Indianapolis-Fort Myers, Indianapolis-Las Vegas, and San Francisco-Kahului (Maui)-Honolulu routes, billing itself both as “American’s vacation airline” and “The nation’s largest charter airline.”

“We create the comfort. You create the excitement,” it advertised. “At American Trans Air, we know the only excitement you want on a vacation is the excitement you create. That’s why you can count on American Trans Air’s courteous, professional staff, top flight aircraft, consumer conscious prices, and all the little extras that have become characteristic of our growing company.”

Growing it was. Seeking to avoid scheduled airline competition, it had become the United States’ largest charter operator, attributing up to 90 percent of its revenue to both the civil and military divisions of this sector, with the remainder from scheduled operations, wet leasing, third party pilot training, and contract maintenance.

Operating a 23-strong fleet by 1992-including seven 727-100s, 12 L-1011-1s, and four 757-200s-it was profitable for 18 of its 19-year history, posting a $2 million loss the previous year for the first time because of the recession and the travel trepidation created by the Gulf War. It transported 2.4 million passengers that year.

It was that very Gulf War, however, which served as the cornerstone of its military operations, since its aircraft counted as part of the Civil Air Patrol fleet. Carrying 108,000 troops on 494 missions in support of Operation Desert Storm, it was also instrumental in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and provided 727-100 shuttle flights between Nellis Air Force Base and the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada.

Stretched -200s replaced the -100s in 1993.

American Trans Air once again adopted a new image when it devoted a significant portion of its aircraft resources to scheduled operations from a Chicago-Midway hub, in addition to continuing its military and government contract flights.

To facilitate its intended growth and modernize its fleet, it ordered 39 737-800s and 12 757-200s in 2000, taking delivery of the first of the former (N301TZ) in June of the following year and the first of the latter (N550TZ) two months later, introducing a livery change in the process to emphasize its new scheduled-airline, business-oriented route system, now branded “ATA Airlines.”

Equally seeking feed from small and secondary cities with more suitable turboprop regional equipment, it purchased existing Chicago Express for $1.9 million in 1999 and operated it as a separate “ATA Connection” subsidiary.

Its latest, elevated-image strategy, however, proved unprofitable, forcing it to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection five years later, on October 26, 2004. The best method of keeping it alive, it decided, was to employ its assets for the benefit of a healthy carrier, which, in this case, was deregulation-synonymous Southwest Airlines.

Transferring six of its Midway Airport gates and 27 percent of its nonvoting stock to Southwest in exchange for a life-injecting cash infusion and continued operation under a code share agreement in December of 2004, ATA reduced its number of Indianapolis-served destinations to three and redeployed aircraft to Chicago, now assuming a business airline profile by flying to cities that Southwest did not, including New York-La Guardia, Dallas/Fort Worth, and San Francisco. Midway-bypassing services also enabled it to link Southwest focus cities, such as Orlando, Phoenix, and Las Vegas, with other voids in its route system, Denver and Honolulu among them.

The strategy resulted in a 20-percent revenue increase for Southwest, but did not necessarily suture ATA’s financial bleed.

To further reduce costs, it significantly pruned its fleet, selling 20 737-800s and eight 757-300s and only marginally plugging its capacity gap with the two-year lease, between November of 2005 and November of 2007, of three former United Airlines 737-300s. Even the lease rates, in the event, proved too high.

Coincident service reductions, not surprisingly, were extensive, as the lights dimmed on numerous destinations over a short interval: Boston, Newark, and Minneapolis in October of 2005, Indianapolis and Denver in November, and Orlando, Fort Myers, and San Francisco the following April, leaving little more than the skeleton of its once fully fleshed body. Indeed, 18 daily departures were dispatched form a single gate at Midway Airport and only 52 were offered system wide. A previous court approval had enabled it to sell its Ambassadair Travel Club division to Grueninger Cruises and Tours.

Although a $100 million financial package form the MatlinPatterson investment firm and pre-bankruptcy creditors enabled the now-privatized carrier to briefly emerge from bankruptcy and establish service to New York-La Guardia, Houston-Hobby, Ontario, Oakland, and Hilo (Hawaii), rising fuel prices, the rapid resignation of a shortly-serving CEO, the poorly executed replacement plan of its L-1011s with DC-10s, and the loss of a major military contract caused it to spiral back into bankruptcy, leaving Flight 4586 from Honolulu to Phoenix to mark its last landing at 0846 on August 2, 2008.

The history of surrogate motherhood goes back to biblical times. In fact, some people say it dates back to Sarah and Abraham. Certain people say that it started even before them, and that it is only recorded about Abraham because he was written about in the Bible. In many countries, surrogacy has been around since before records. Many cultures have belief systems that abide with the rules of surrogacy and those that do not agree can be thrown out of their families. Numerous religions and civilizations will actually celebrate the surrogate mothers, for their good deeds and service to others. During the 1980’s surrogate mothers were used by the gay community to build their families, then, it was frowned upon by society.

The American Indians were the first ones to truly begin the surrogate mother history in this part of the world. So we are looking back to the 1899’s for the beginning of this part of the story. If an Indian woman was found to be infertile, then her husband would go to the chief of his tribe and ask for help. He would then be sent to see the medicine man, who would give the wife certain herbal concoctions. Then, after the witch doctor said nothing could be done to help his wife, the husband would go to see the chief. He would be allowed to take another woman and make her pregnant, hopefully, so that he would be able to father a son to carry on his tribe. The barren wife would have no relations with the child. He would stay with his birth mother.

The American Indians were not the only civilization to use surrogate mothers to carry on the family name and bloodline. Back in recent European history it has been heard of, especially in Spain for kings to take in several surrogate mothers until he was born a son. The surrogate mother of the child would then become nanny to all of the royal children. The children would believe themselves to be genetically related to the king and queen. Never knowing the truth. Obviously, things like this were kept secret, because if not, questions would be asked about their right to the throne.

Nowadays, we are lucky that due to technological breakthroughs in this field of science a woman can feel safe in the knowledge that even though another woman is carrying her child, her husband or partner has had no physical relations with the surrogate mother. Such things have, in the past, caused battles and feuds between the people involved and it is quite understandable. The technological solution has saved an awful lot of heartache for many families.

In America, the very first surrogacy agency was opened by a lawyer named Noel Keane back in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s. He went on to create many more agencies that abided by the surrogacy arrangement laws. Since then, there have been more than 30,000 births due to the surrogacy arrangement laws. Society obviously feels that surrogacy is a viable solution to infertile women and gay men. There will always be those who criticise but if they could only look at it from a different angle, they just might see something different and even end up with a different viewpoint.

The history of bowling can be traced back to the Stone Age. The first evidence of the game was discovered by the British Anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie and his team of archaeologists in Egypt in the 1930s. He unearthed a collection of objects from a small child?s grave that appeared to have been the primitive form of the game. However, some argue that the game evolved much later than that. William Pehle, a German historian, claimed that the game of bowling originated in Germany around 300 AD. In Germany, the game had its origin as a religious ceremony for determining absence of sin. This game, introduced by the German monks to the masses, flourished as a customary test of faith.

In England, bowling was started as early as the 1100s. Throughout England, several variations of bowling, such as half-bowls, skittles and ninepins, existed during the mid 1300s. But, the first written mention of the game was made by the King Edward III in the year 1366. In this reference, he allegedly imposed a ban on playing this game among his troops because it was distracting the troops from archery practice. Later, during the regime of King Henry VIII, the game gained popularity and was played as a symbol of nobility and social status.

Bowling has been popular in America since Colonial days. During 17th century, English, Dutch and German settlers imported their own version of bowling to America. At that time, the game consisted of nine pins which were regularly played in an area of New York City still known as “Bowling Green”. Connecticut banned ninepins in 1841 because of their gambling implications.

The American Bowling Congress was formed on 9 September 1895 and is credited with standardizing bowling in the United States and organizing official competition. The Women’s Bowling League followed in 1917, under the encouragement of proprietor Dennis Sweeny.

Through the years, the game has changed. A variety of tactics have been developed. The invention of automatic pinspotter in the 1940s revolutionized both the bowling game and industry. Currently, the sport of bowling is enjoyed by 95 million people in more than ninety countries worldwide.

The history of cowboy hats starts with the name, John Batterson Stetson. In the later years of 1860?s the hats were associated with heroism. It was then adapted to the uniform of the cavalry force. The media popularized these hats to costume great warriors in the screen. It then, served as the universal image for the sporty native hero of America. Now they are fashion symbols, which reflect the traditional style of sturdiness.

History states that Stetson had made a wide-brimmed, high-crowned hat from common fur of the horse hides, during his wild hunting tours to fulfill a bet. Its multipurpose functions such as large brim to protect the sun, the crown to fetch water or fan the fire, whip the horse etc gained public acceptance. The term cowboy hat was coined from its popularity among the cowboys. Stetson sold the first hat of its type in Central City, Colorado in the name ?Boss of the Plains,? for $5, which was more commonly known as the “ten-gallon cowboy hat”. Some contradict the credit of invention to Stetson with the argument that the ranchers of Mexico and Texas had the practice of using wide trimmed fur-felt hat in the mid 1800 called “Sombreros”. It was also popular in Spain. They consider that Stetson did not invent the hat, only popularized it.

The Pork Pie was the dominant style of cowboy hats in the 1860’s. The hat was soft inexpensive with the features of telescope crown and brim of 3″. It was common till the late 1870’s. The 4×4 was the dominant hat style of rural America from about 1790 until about 1880. It is now popular in names such as “Boss of the plains,” “Trapper,” “planter?. These early cowboy hats have a distinctive feature of three- piece lining. Hamburg was another popular style of cowboy hat with the letter M style crown.

The 20th century revolutionized the making of cow boy hats with the transition from hand woven hats to machine made hats.

History of Bullfighting- Origins.

Bullfighting in Spain seems to have its origins during the 8 long centuries of the Spanish

War of Reconquest (711-1492 A.D.) when the knights of both the Moors and

Christians would organize hunting competitions as a respite from killing

each other and they soon realized that of all the prey the Iberian bull

offered the greatest challenge as unlike other animals it preferred to die

fighting rather than fleeing.

It seems probable that a nobleman captured a few of these brave beasts

and took them to his village in order to recreate the thrill of the hunt before

his admiring subjects. Thus some remote part of Medieval Spain saw the

origins of what is today the national Spanish spectacle of bullfighting.

The history of bullfighting recalls that the first real bullfight, or

corrida, took place inn 1133 at Vera, Logroño in honour of the coronation

of King Alfonso VIII. From then on they became a popular pass time at many

important events and continued after the wars of reconquest had finished

offering noblemen an outlet to demonstrate the zeal and daring with which he

defeated the Moors.

King Philip II however found the spectacle disgusting and enlisted the

help of Pope Pius V to get it banned by papel decree. This, together with

the growing pleasures to be had at the royal court, resulted in

the nobility giving up their interest in bullfighting but not so the

peasantry who took it enthusiastically to heart and it thus became a symbol

of something genuinely Spanish.

By 1726 they were ready to adopt their first bullfighting hero in the from of

Francisco Romero from Ronda. He was a man of humble origins who became the first

professional bullfighter in Spain. With him the corrida developed into

more of an art form. He introduced the estoque, sword, and the muleta,

the small cape used in the last part of the fight as it is more easily

wielded.

History of Bullfighting- the Modern Corrida.

Today’s bullfight is much as it was developed in the time of Romero.

Normally 6 bulls and three matadors are required for an afternoons

corrida. The three matadors dressed in their trajes de luces (suit of lights)

enter the arena accompanied by their banderilleros and picadors and the

strains of a traditional paso doble. The door to the totil, or bull

pen, is opened and one of the bulls emerges.

The matador greets it with a series of manoeuvres, or passes, with a

large cape; these passes are usually verónicas, the basic cape

manoeuvre (named after the woman who held out a cloth to Christ on his

way to the crucifixion). Contrary to popular believe bulls are actually

colour blind and they go for the cape not because it is red but because it

is moving.

The second part of the bullfight is the job of the mounted picadors who

lance the bull, normally three times. Then a trumpet blows and the

banderilleros on foot move in to place their banderillas ( brightly

coloured barbed sticks) in the beast’s shoulders to get it to lower it’s head

for the kill. After this a further trumpet sounds which signals

the faena or final phase of the bullfight. The cloth of the muleta is draped over

the estoque and here the matador shows his skill in the passes that he makes.

These consist of the trincherazo which is normally the opening pass performed

on one knee then there is the pase de la firma in which the matador

remains motionless whilst passing the cloth under the bulls nose. The

manoletina involves holding the muleta behind the body and the natural

pass is one in which the danger to the matador is increased as the

estoque is removed from the muleta this reduces the target size and

tempting the bull to charge at the larger object–the bullfighter.

After performing these passes for several minutes during which time the matador

tries to excite the crowd by moving closer and closer to the horns, he finally

and lines up the bull for the kill.

The blade has to pass between the

shoulder blades and as the space between them is small the feet of the bull

have to be together as the bullfighter rushes over the horns. The kill

is properly performed by aiming straight over the bull’s horns and

plunging the estoque between the withers into the region of the aorta.

This requires considerable skill and discipline, not to mention a certain

amount of raw courage, and for this reason is known as “el memento

de la verdad” or the moment of truth.

Olive trees, ‘Olea europaea,’ are the oldest fruit trees and certainly are one of the most important fruit trees in history. Olive tree culture has been closely connected to the rise and fall of Mediterranean empires and other advanced civilizations throughout the ages. Because olive trees offered wealth and future food supplies to established civilizations, the agricultural nations became stable societies, resulting from a secure expectation from past experience of an uninterrupted food and olive oil supply. This factor was a necessary requirement for population growth and increase. Dependable fruit production and olive oil production means that olive trees must exist in a stable society and a peaceful environment. That stability must extend for many years, since most ancient seedling olive trees required eight or more years before ever producing the first crop of fruit.

Productive orchards of olive trees meant that a foundation of the great empires of Greece and Rome had arisen and developed into complex economic and political forces. It is interesting to note that the historical decline of these empires corresponded to the destruction of their olive tree orchards that reduced the available supplies of olives, olive oil, olive wood, and olive soap. In connection with the destruction of olive orchards, it is interesting to note that in the Israeli wars with Palestine, 50,000 olive trees were destroyed by Israeli bulldozers. That act of agricultural destruction resulted in considerable anger and unrest along the Gaza strip and the West Bank, because the economic livelihood of many Palestinian farmers depended on their products from the uprooted olive trees. Additionally, the olive tree was historically a ‘peace and goodwill’ symbol, and when the olive trees were leveled near the city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus and the “Cradle of Biblical History,” that elimination of olive trees seemed like a deliberate provocation to end the ‘peace’ with the Palestinian settlers and farmers.

Medical properties of olive oil were reported by many ancient Greek writers and philosophers, their importance in creating nutritional benefits and wealth for Greek citizens continues abundantly today–some Greek olive tree orchards containing a million or more trees. Aristotle wrote extensively about the accepted methods of successfully growing olive trees.

Greek mythology records that Athena, the Goddess of wisdom and peace, struck her magic spear into the Earth, and it turned into an olive tree, thus, the location where the olive tree appeared and grew was named Athens, Greece, in honor of the Goddess, Athena. Local legend tells us that the original olive tree still stands growing after many centuries at the ancient sacred site. Citizens still claim that all Greek olive trees originated from rooted cuttings that were grown from that original olive tree. Homer claimed in his writings that the ancient olive tree growing in Athens was already 10,000 years old. Homer stated that Greek courts sentenced people to death if they destroyed an olive tree. In 775 BC Olympia, Greece, at the site of the ancient Olympic stadium, athletes competed and trained, and winners were triumphantly acclaimed and crowned with a wreath made of olive twigs. Ancient gold coins that were minted in Athens depicted the face of the Goddess, Athena, wearing an olive leaf wreath on her helmet holding a clay vessel of olive oil. The Greeks began olive cultivation in 700 BC.

The sacred lamp that was used in ancient Greek culture for lighting dark rooms at night was fueled by olive oil. Aged olive oil was also used in sacred anointing rituals of the church at weddings and at baptisms. Herodotus wrote in 500 BC, that the growing and exporting of olives and olive oil were so sacred that only virgins and eunuchs were allowed to cultivate orchards of olive trees. The first documented plantings of olive trees may have occurred during the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete and are believed to have been growing around 3500 BC. That civilization predates the discovered Mycenae olive fossils from 1600 BC and later in the Greek empire. Sturt Manning, an archeologist from Cornell University, reported in Live Science Magazine (Apr 28, 2005) that the most devastating volcano in 10,000 years occurred on the Greek Island of Thera, after which the city of Akrotiri was totally buried by the falling ash. The finding of olive wood and olive seed fossils buried near the site has shown through carbon dating that the volcanic eruption occurred between 1660 and 1600 BC and may have contributed to the total destruction of the advanced Minoan civilization (Atlantis) on the isle of Crete and may have led to the formation of the Sahara desert in North Africa after vaporizing the native forests there.

The fragrant flowers of olive trees are small and creamy white, hidden within the thick leaves. Some cultivars will self pollinate, but others will not. The blossoms usually begin appearing in April and can continue for many months. A wild, seedling olive tree normally begins to flower and produce fruit at the age of 8 years. The fruit of the olive tree is a purplish-black when completely ripe, but a few cultivars are green when ripe and some olives turn a color of copper-brown. The size of the olive fruit is variable, even on the same tree, and the shape ranges from round to oval with pointed ends. Some olives can be eaten fresh after sun-drying and the taste is sweet, but most olive cultivars are bitter and must be treated by various chemical solutions before developing into edible olives. If the olives are thinned on the limbs of the trees to 2 or 3 per twig, the ultimate size of the olives will be much larger. The fruit is gathered in mid October and should be processed as soon as possible to prevent fermentation and a decline in quality.

The leaves of olive trees are gray-green and are replaced at 2-3 year intervals during the spring after new growth appears. Pruning yearly and severely is very important to insure continued production. The trees have the unproductive limbs removed, “so that it will be more fruitful” John 15:2. An olive tree can grow to 50 feet with a limb spread of 30 feet, but most growers will keep the tree pruned to 20 feet to assure maximum production. New sprouts and trees will emerge from the olive tree stump roots, even if the trees are cut down. Some olive trees are believed to be over a thousand years old, and most will live to the ripe old age of 500 years.

Olives generally are beaten off trees with poles, harvested mechanically or by shaking the fruit from the trees onto canvas. Most ripening olives are removed from the trees after the majority of the fruit begins to change in color. It is important to squeeze out the olive oil within a day after harvesting or else fermentation or decline in flavor and quality will occur. The olive oil can be consumed or used in cooking immediately after its collection from the press. Olive oils are unique and distinct, each brand of olive oil having its own character, as determined by many factors, like those unique flavor differences found in fine wines. Prepared commercial olive oils can vary greatly in aroma, fruit flavor; whether the taste is, flowery, nutty, delicate, or mild, and the coloring of olive oil is quite variable.

Olive oil produces many health benefits when used in cooking or when poured over salads. The use of olive oil can improve digestion and can benefit heart metabolism through its low content of cholesterol. Experts claim that olive oil consumption will cause a person to grow shiny hair, prevent dandruff, prevent wrinkles, prevent dry skin and acne, strengthen nails, stop muscle aching, lower blood pressure and cancel out the effects of alcohol.

Olive trees can survive droughts and strong winds, and they grow well on well drained soils up to a pH of 8.5 and the trees can tolerate salt water conditions. In Europe, olive trees are normally fertilized every other year with an organic fertilizer. Alternate bearing can be avoided by heavy pruning and generally the trees respond to this very quickly and favorably.

Olive trees should be purchased that have been vegetatively propagated or grafted, because the seed grown trees will revert to a wild type that yields small olives with an insipid taste. Olive trees are more resistant to diseases and insects than any other fruit tree and, therefore, are sprayed less than any other crop.

Even though commercial production of olives in the United States is only 2% of the world market, great interest in growing olives throughout the South has been stimulated by the recent introduction of promising cold hardy olive trees from European hybridizers. Many European immigrants to the United States grow their own olive trees in large pots, that can be moved in and out of the house during seasonal changes.

Gamblers and cardsharps, gunslingers and knights-errant, traveling jazz musicians and punk rockers, even office clerks have had a hand in shaping the long and colorful story of sleeve garters — one of the classiest underrated accessories in the history of men’s fashion. Although often regarded today as novel anachronisms from a bygone era, arm garters have meant much to the men who have worn them throughout the ages — from practical necessity to the highest symbol of honor and loyalty, the sleeve garter may not be as prevalent today as in centuries past, but it’s looking better than ever.

Garters in the Middle Ages and Camelot

The sleeve garter has been making sporadic appearances in fashion since the Middle Ages, during a time when leg garters were a common accessory for both men and women — in the era before elastic, both sexes used leg garters to hold up their stockings. These garters were often fanciful, highly decorative, and worn to be displayed, a trend that dominated men’s clothing clear through the 18th century.

Great Britain’s ultra-exclusive Most Noble Order of the Garter, in fact, was a product of this period, having been established by King Edward the III sometime in the mid-14th century as a fellowship of chivalrous knights bound by the symbol of the garter. The organization, still in existence today, is limited to royalty and foreign sovereigns and is regarded as one of the most elite societies in the world.

The reason Edward III chose to use the garter as a symbol of his fraternity is shrouded in legend and has been the subject of a great deal of controversy and debate. Some trace Edward’s inspiration to the Crusades, where knights were said to have tied garters around their legs as talismans that would assure them of victory. Others say the source can be traced to the leather straps that knights of the period wore around their arms to bind pieces of their armor. The inspiration of the garter has also been attached to none other than legendary Camelot, where many members of King Arthur’s Round Table, most notably Sir Gawain, wore garters as a sign of solidarity, loyalty, purity, and brotherhood.

By the end of Elizabethan England, arm and sleeve garters had largely faded from fashion but were destined to make a big comeback during the 19th century. With the Industrial Revolution came the introduction of mass produced textiles, making clothing like basic pants and shirts more affordable to the average person. But mass produced clothing, which couldn’t be pre-fitted to the wearer, tended to come in only standard sizes while most men’s shirts were produced with sleeves in only one length, extra long. Arm garters were a convenient and, for those who couldn’t afford their own tailor, necessary way to adjust the length of one’s sleeves by keeping excess material bunched above the elbow near the shoulder.

Sleeve Garters in the 19th Century and the Wild West

Though production techniques improved over time, leading to the variety of shirt sizes available today and eliminating the need for arm garters, there were numerous other practical considerations that helped keep the sleeve garter popular among certain circles. Among news printers, office clerks, and other professionals who worked near ink (in an era where most documents were still produced by hand), arm garters were a way to keep one’s sleeves clean and smudge-free.

No less practical were the considerations for card players around the Old West and elsewhere, who commonly wore arm garters because it made hiding cards up one’s sleeves difficult. A card player wearing sleeve garters was essentially announcing that he was both honest and good enough that he didn’t need to cheat. Arm garters are often worn by card dealers at casinos even today for these reasons, though presently they are regarded more as a decorative part of a traditional uniform than as a safeguard against cheating.

There is also the notion, popularized by depictions in television and film, that gunslingers of the Old West wore sleeve garters to help keep their hands free in the event of a shootout. However, the notorious inaccuracy of pistols and handguns from the period, added to the fact that the American frontier was typically far less violent than its depiction in pop culture, makes this rationale unlikely. However, there is no question that the sleeve garter is now, as it was then, regarded as a dashing accessory for any well-dressed gunslinger from that era.

There is also a belief that keeping one’s hands free made arm garters popular among guitarists and early jazz musicians. While there is likely some validity to this opinion, sleeve garters were also popular among singers and other non-instrument playing performers of the time, lending strong evidence to the idea that arm garters were as fashionable as they were practical.

Retro Fashion and the Return of the Sleeve Garter

The end of the Old West, combined with technological advancements and huge changes in fashion during the 20th century, has turned arm garters into a relic of the past, one that’s now little more than part of a costume limited to a few highly nostalgic professions. There is, however, evidence that arm garters may be making something of second comeback.

The aesthetic known as steampunk, which combines and blends the energy of punk music, the advances of modern technology, and the look and style of Victorian fashion, has recently begun to influence fictional literature, art, music, film, and especially clothing. Fans of this new and often whimsical style are known to incorporate dated accessories like sleeve garters into their dress — the internet fairly abounds with how-to guides and instructions that show fans how to sew sleeve garters of their own.

Whether fads like steampunk will restore the sleeve garter to a premier place in men’s fashion remains to be seen, but the movement is proof that the particular look of this truly old school accessory is still popular for some, and is far from finished. Whether for chivalrous brotherhood, practical need, or retro fashion, it seems the sleeve garter will still be seen on men’s arms for at least a little while longer.