At a busy crossroads of Enterprise in Alabama State in the US stands the world’s first monument in honour of a pest. The Boll Weevil Monument recognizes the contribution of the boll weevil beetles in the State’s agriculture. Alabama once served as a leading producer of cotton in the US. In the early 20th century, it …
The earliest cotton in the world was spun and woven in India
Since ancient times cotton was spun in India with matchless skill. It is said that the delicate cotton from India was worn by Roman emperors who referred to it as ‘woven wind’. Mughal emperors fondly called the cotton ‘morning dew’ and ‘running water’.
From ‘qutun’ to cotton: The journey
Cotton gets its name from the Arabic word ‘qutun’, which means fine textile or fabric. Archaeologists have found samples of cotton fabric, as old as 7000 years, at the sites of ancient civilizations, such as Mohenjo-daro, Egypt, and Mexico. Nonetheless, it is difficult to determine the exact period or place when cotton was first used for …