History of cotton

Cotton
History
Terminology
Cash crop Commodity Cottonopolis Cotton Belt Cotton diplomacy King Cotton
Types
Gossypium hirsutum Gossypium barbadense Gossypium arboreum Gossypium herbaceum
Production
Cotton-spinning machinery Cotton gin Cotton mill Cotton picker Cotton recycling Mercerised cotton Organic cotton Spinning jenny Spinning mule Spinning wheel Water frame
Fabric
Cambric Chino Corduroy Denim Seersucker Terrycloth
v t e

The history of cotton can be traced from its domestication, through the important role it played in the history of India, the British Empire, and the United States, to its continuing importance as a crop and commodity.

The history of the domestication of cotton is very complex and is not known exactly.^[1] Several isolated civilizations in both the Old and New World independently domesticated and converted the cotton into fabric. All the same tools were invented to work it also, including combs, bows, hand spindles, and primitive looms.^{[2]: 11–13}

Cotton has been cultivated and used by humans for thousands of years, with evidence of cotton fabrics dating back to ancient civilizations in India, Egypt, and Peru. The cotton industry played a significant role in the development of the American economy, with the production of cotton being a major source of income for slave owners in the southern United States prior to the Civil War. Today, cotton remains an important crop worldwide, with China and India being the largest producers.