Cotton History
Cotton History
Cotton fibre is naturally soft, friendly to the skin and has the flexibility to be made into materials capable of coping with wide variances in atmospheric moisture and temperature. For almost 7,000 years, cotton clothing has protected mankind from sun, rain, heat and frost.
5,000 BC
Cotton was used in the Mexican Tunuac Ajn Valley.
3,000 BC
Various civilisations in India, China and Egypt grew cotton.
2,700 BC
Mohejo Daro, within the Indus Valley area of today's Pakistan, has the oldest archaeological evidence of clothing made from cotton.
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2,000 - 1,500 BC
The Maya in Guatemala, Yucatan and Mexico grew cotton.
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10 BC - 1925 AD
Indian tribes in the south of what is now the USA cultivated cotton.
800 AD
Arab merchants brought cotton clothing to Europe.
1492 AD
Having arrived in the Bahamas, Christopher Columbus is one of the first Europeans to see cotton being grown
15th Century
European colonists take cotton seeds across the Atlantic to start a new industry. The first 'U.S. cotton' was grown in Virginia and Florida in 1730.
1730
The Industrial Revolution began in England: cotton was spun and woven by machinery.
18th Century
The cotton industry becomes the biggest industry in the USA.
1793
Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin and revolutionises the U.S. cotton industry.
1851
60% of U.S. exports consist of cotton products.
1968
94% of U.S. cotton is harvested by machinery.
Today
The cotton industry is the most important employer in more than 90 countries of the world. The USA is one of the largest cotton exporters and producers worldwide.
The U.S.-Cotton Belt – cotton as far as the eye can see
U.S. cotton is grown in the so-called "Cotton Belt." This vast area of the USA embraces 17 states across the South, from North Carolina on the East Coast to California on the West Coast. The region's soil conditions and climate of virtually continual sunshine guarantee a permanent supply of high quality fibres. That's why the USA can offer such a wide range of different types of cotton.
