Why Did Navy Sailors Wear Bell Bottoms? It Wasn't to Keep Their Ankles Cool, but Close

Before there were drones and high-tech surveillance devices that seem straight out of a science-fiction movie, there were still soldiers and sailors, putting their lives on the line to protect their country.

Over the years, their technology evolved, offering a better chance for military members to stay alive, even if as they faced increasingly advanced enemy weaponry and technology.

Through it all, the core of the Navy has remained the same. However, their uniforms look quite a bit different from how they used to. And there was one era in history where the uniforms looked a little unusual, to say the least. So why exactly did sailors used to have bell bottoms?

The answer is surprisingly simple.

When considering the reason why sailors wore bell bottoms, there are a few theories that might spring to mind. Were they loose around the ankles to keep the sailors' ankles cool while out on the ocean in the blazing sun?

Did they do it so that when the sailors stood in formation, their pants provided a visual wall, making it aesthetically pleasing?

Both of those are fairly reasonable theories, but that's not the real reason. According to History Facts, the Navy first brought the bell bottoms into circulation as the official uniform in 1901. They remained until the 1970s, where they took a brief hiatus, before returning throughout the 1900s before being replaced by wide, straight-legged pants in the late '90s and early '00s.

While we don't have a definitive reason for the bell bottoms, we do have some fairly convincing explanations.

For one, History Facts explains, wide pants were safer and more practical. For another, they were easier to roll up to their knees to allow seamen to keep their pants legs dry while mopping the deck or working in wet conditions. And there's also a theory that the loose leg bottoms provided an easier handhold for sailors to grab ahold if a fellow sailor went overboard.

However, the theory about rolling up the pants legs to keep them dry has some historic proof, thanks to old pictures with creases, and makes more sense.

Most people can close their eyes and picture the bell-bottomed uniforms of the sailor. In fact, the traditional sailor's uniform seems to hold a romantic memory in the hearts and minds of Americans, especially when it comes to a famous 1945 photograph taken at the end of World War II, dubbed "The Kiss."

In the photograph, an enthusiastic sailor appears to be sweeping his love into his arms for a triumphant kiss.

However, the real story is a little different than the romantic imagery suggests.

According to the U.S. Naval Institute, Greta Zimmer, a military nurse who served in World War II, was in Times Square to learn if Japan really had surrendered to the United States, looking for confirmation as celebration swirled around her.

Nearby, a photographer, Alfred Eisenstaedt, was following Navy sailor George Mendonsa as he wended his way through the crowd. In a fit of gratitude for what the military nurses represented, George swept down on Greta.

He bent her backwards in a nonconsensual kiss as the photographer who followed him caught the moment. It looked romantic and enthusiastic, but it turns out that Greta never consented and was shocked when she was swept halfway off her feet and kissed by a stranger.

Although it seems evident that George didn't intend to harm Greta, the real story tells a far different one than most people grew up believing.