Undergarment Boudreaux showed the world that an American woman could establish and run a company, and she also caused a revolution in the underwear industry. In 1913, a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob created the first modern brassiere by tying two handkerchiefs together with ribbon. Jacob's original intention was to cover the whalebone sticking out of her corset, which was visible through her sheer dress. Jacob began making brassieres for her family and friends, and news of the garment soon spread by word of mouth. By 1914, Jacob had a patent for her design and was marketing it throughout
Jacob Potofsky Jacob Potofsky Jacob Samuel Potofsky (November 26, 1894 – August 5, 1979) was a Ukrainian-born American trade unionist, best known as second president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, succeeding founder Sidney Hillman. After emigrating to the United States, Potofsky became an influential figure in the Labor history of the United States. As a teenager, Potofsky moved to Chicago, and, in 1914 joined the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. Potofsky gained power in the union, become a close partner of Sidney Hillman. In 1946 he succeeded Hillman as president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, a post he