Have you ever wondered why all jeans have a small pocket inside the side pockets?

Well, we’ve been wondering. And no matter how much we tried to think of a practical use for this small pocket, we just couldn’t find one. The cellphone doesn’t fit in there, and it’s not at all suitable for keeping small money or bills. And the keys? You’re kidding; you’ll never get the key back out of it.

But fear not; the British Independent newspaper claims to have the answer to the eternal question—and it’s certainly not what you thought.

You must have wondered about that. And it doesn’t matter if these are men or women’s jeans; all jeans have two front pockets and two back pockets. In addition, one of the front pockets has a small and strange pocket. But why does it exist?

Interestingly, to find the source, we have to go back almost two hundred years. This tiny pocket is not a modern addition to jeans. Instead, it is a practical solution to a problem that no longer exists today.

Behind this invention stands none other than the most famous jeans manufacturer in the world, Levis.

According to the Independent, the first small pocket came into use in the early 19th century. The reason? To help those who wore jeans the most—cowboys.

Cowboys would ride with their small pocket watch tied to a strap or inside their coats, but these two methods caused the watch to fall and break. So Levis started making jeans with a small pocket designed to keep the pocket watch from being damaged. By having the clock in their pocket, the cowboys could ride without fear of the clock breaking. Smart!

We didn’t know it at all. It’s pretty amazing that the design stays with the jeans to this day. There may no longer be cowboys in the world, but their little watch pockets have certainly remained.

Share the story with your friends and family so that they too will know this amazing fact. We’re sure they’re wondering about that too.