Book 5, Question 89
Stitch by Stitch! Why Did People Make Needles?
A needle helps pull thread through skin or cloth, so people could sew pieces together into clothing. Very old needles have been found made from bone. Sewing helped people make warmer, better-fitting clothes.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 5
More fun facts
- Stone Age people sewed clothes out of fur and animal skin using needles made of bone.
- Bone needles found at Xiaogushan in China are about 23,000 to 30,000 years old.
- Delicate bone needles may have helped prehistoric people sew warm winter clothing.
- Making needles took hunter-gatherers a lot of time, so any faster way to make them could help people survive.
- Anything made on a sewing machine can, in theory, also be made by hand with a needle and thread.
Sources: BBC, Smithsonian, Smithsonian Magazine
Questions kids ask
What were the first needles made of?
Many early needles were carved from bone or ivory.