The Road to Casual Friday
Ed Haggar, who coined the term "slacks," has died. From the Dallas Morning News obit:
Mr. Haggar teamed with legendary Dallas advertising pioneer Morris Hite to coin the term "slacks," his son said. Pants were largely known as trousers until then.
"During the war years, people tried to get more casual during the weekends, during slack time or down time," [his son] Eddie Haggar said. "Dad and Morris Hite...came up with the name slacks."
Contrary to popular belief, the baby boomers didn't invent casual living. The WWII generation made it the American standard.