Ever wonder who invented those trusty blue jeans? It was none other than Loeb, or "Levi" Strauss. If you summarize Levi Strauss's life you could say he was a poor boy that immigrated to America and died rich and famous. Levi's invention has made blue jeans an essential and important article of clothing for more than 150 years.

Levi was born on February 26, 1829 in Buttenheim, Bavaria to the parents of Hirsch Strauss and his second wife, Rebecca Haas Strauss. Unfortunately, in 1845, Levi's father died from tuberculosis. Struggling to make a living, the Strauss family- Rebecca Strauss, Levi Strauss and two siblings- decided to immigrate to New York two years after Hirsch's death to meet up with two of Levi's step brothers that were already there. They had started a small business for dry-goods there called "J. Strauss and Co."

Quickly, Levi learned the trade, and in 1853, officially changed his...