As often happens at Fairdale today’s morning began with one of my co-workers researching the origins of the jock strap. According to the “Bike” Athletic company which has sold over 300 million jock straps the athletic supporter was invented by them 1874. The purpose was so that “bicycle jockeys” could endure the bone-shaking ball-breaking abuse from riding on cobblestone streets. Bike’s enlightening history is here.