The California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century not only brought prosperity to the faraway California and today’s elegant San Francisco but also brought jeans to the mankind.

The Bavarian chap Levi Strauss actually traveled across the ocean with another business idea – selling tents to the miners. But he fell victim to his knowledge of geography or, more precisely, his ignorance: there was no need for tents in a dry climate. But heavy-duty pants were in a high demand. And the energetic merchant acted to meet that demand. In addition, Levi Strauss adjusted the design of the pants in response to consumer requests in his new homeland: a yoke was added allowing to work in a bent position, the fabric was stitched with strong double seams, and thick eyes were used accepting wide belts. And when tailor Jacob Davis used rivets to reinforce pockets that were always packed with heavy rock, modern jeans came out as a result. So, while genius and the evil may be difficult to match, ignorance of geography and business success turned out to be quite compatible. That, however, does not justify ignorance in any way.