10 Things You Didn't Know About Men's Ties!

1) The necktie originated from a silk scarf worn by Croatian soldiers - it became known as the cravate.

2) Marv Beloff invented the wooden bow tie in 1993. He sells nine basic homemade styles and insists that the only things you have to worry about when you wear them are "termites and fires."

3) The stripes on British ties usually run from top left to bottom right while the stripes on American ties run from top right to bottom left.

4) 300 years ago the English developed neckwear so thick that they could stop a sword thrust.

5) At one point in history, merely touching a man's tie knot was cause for a duel.

6) Americans spend more than $1 billion each year to buy a staggering 100 million ties.

7) A good quality silk tie will require approximately 110 silkworm cocoons.

8) The city of Shengzhou in China is one of the world's biggest tie producers, with 200 million ties made there each year.

9) It is possible to buy a bulletproof tie that will stop a 9mm bullet.

10) A person who collects ties is called a Grabatologist.