America’s Secret Billion Button Empire 👔 #history #facts
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In 1888, a German immigrant turned the Mississippi River into the center of the American pearl button empire. Jürgen Boppel arrived in the United States with a specific craft: cutting buttons from shell and horn. He had heard rumors that the Mississippi River was packed with freshwater mussels, and he was determined to harvest them. What followed was a massive industrial shift, resulting in the production of over 138 million buttons that eventually fastened shirts across the country. This is the story of how a single button maker created a massive industry out of riverbed resources. While the pearl button industry eventually faded, it remains a fascinating look at early American manufacturing and resource exploitation. Subscribe for weekly historical breakdowns, and comment which industry invention you want to see next.
Tags: pearl button empire, Jürgen Boppel, Mississippi River, freshwater mussels, American manufacturing, mississippi, mississippi river history, mussels
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