1914: New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob invents the modern bra with two handkerchiefs and a pink ribbon to create the "backless brassiere." She eventually sells her patent to Warner Brothers Corset Co.
1918: World War I proves a boon to the shift from corsets to bras, since the 28,000 tons of metal used annually in corset production is enough to build two battleships.
1922: The new Maidenform company creates a bra with discernible cups.
1947: Frederick Mellinger — yep, of Hollywood — introduces the first padded bra. The next year, he markets the first push-up bra, the Rising Star.
1968: Feminists protest the 1968 Miss America pageant, calling bras "instruments of female torture." Police keep any bras from being torched, but the term "bra burners" enters the language.
1977: Lisa Lindahl and Polly Smith take two jock straps and invent the first sports bra, the Jogbra. Coincidentally, Victoria's Secret is founded the same year.
1990: Madonna dons a Cone Bra by Jean Paul Gaultier for her Blond Ambition tour.
1994: Wonderbra comes to the United States from the United Kingdom. Tagline: "Hello boys."
