A Brief History of Underpants

From Pharaonic papyrus smalls to the Boxer rebellion, author Timothy James Brown demonstrates how our most intimate of garments have been pivotal in the shaping of the modern world.

Fire, the bow, the stirrup, gunpowder and steam-power, all have been credited with altering the course of history, but what of mankind's eternal quest for comfortable, practical undergarments that are not too fussy and can be worn with confidence in humid weather?

Marvel at: Clay pants in the cradle of civilization; Self-mummifying papyrus smalls from middle Egypt; Norman and his Domesday Pant; Leonardo Da Vinci's siege briefs; Henry VIII and the Cloth of Gold; The martydom of Anne Summers; The shocking origins of the Balaclava Helmet; The Boxer rebellion; The Great Exhibitionist; Why washing was stolen from the Maginot line; The 'Five Day' pant; Black holes and superstring unmentionables; The iPant and the digital brief.