National No Pants Day is on the first Friday in May, on May 1 this year, and we know just how freeing it can be to change out of your pants after a long day. Can you believe that the oldest pair of pants ever discovered by archeologists are wool ones in western China that date back more than 3,000 years ago? While these pants were typically worn during horseback riding, over the years, pants have changed in purpose and material. From equestrian to labor and fashion purposes, to wool and denim materials, distressed jeans are in fashion, and every person has more than one pair.
The first instance of National No Pants Day is said to have started in Austin, Texas, during the 1980s. A club at the University of Texas named the Knighthood of Buh wanted to celebrate freedom from conforming to society and the end of the semester. After finishing their finals, they pulled their pants down and walked around in their undergarments. Although this began as a college prank, this tradition continued until 2000 when states throughout the United States and in other countries such as Canada, Britain, and Australia, started catching onto this day and wanted to participate in it as well.
Another story of how this day first started was about a man in the 1980s who asked his wife if she could iron his work pants for an important meeting. While he was concerned about being late to work, too much time had already passed, and he rushed out the door, forgetting to put his pants back on. When he finally realized he was pantless, he was already on the subway. Since there wasn’t anything he could do about it, he pretended as if nothing was out of the ordinary and feigned a smile.
Similar to National No Pants Day, there is a No Pants Subway Ride Day that was started in 2002 by Improv Everywhere, a comedy organization. In January of that year, a group of seven rode the subway wearing oversized coats and their undergarments. They did this as a prank to see how other subway riders would react to them being pantless in January weather. Since 2002, this day is celebrated and has spread to other countries, with the specific date announced by Improv Everywhere.
