Did you know that it wasn’t until the 1920s that the bra, as we recognise today, was invented? Women across the world owe their thanks to a dressmaker in the United States who was frustrated by the way lingerie flattened chests. A two-minute animated video by Ted-Ed describes how Ida Rosenthal, her husband William and business partner Enid Bisset went on to develop “a line of intimate apparel that accentuates that curves.”

While the three went on to set up a lingerie store, it was Ida’s husband William, who in a “moment of vision” invented the cup sizing system.

Watch the video here: