Happy Sunday! We hope you’ve had a wonderful Fourth of July Weekend celebrating the USA at 249, full of fireworks, parades, slightly more expensive barbecues, and, of course, the spirit of independence — the essence that unites all the disparate aspects of American culture, from blue jeans to nerdy names for tech startups.

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The blueprint

Denim jeans have become an American and global fashion mainstay unlike any other.

While it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when the first pair of jeans was made, many — not least of all the Levi’s marketing department — trace the origins of the pants as we know them today back more than 150 years. A lot has changed in the intervening century-and-a-half, but the humble garment has been a near constant in American wardrobes throughout. 

Jeans were worn by sailors; they became a symbol of the rugged American Wild West in the early 1900s; broke into the mainstream as leisure wear; became a motif for an entire generation of young rebels in the 1950s; and have played their part in just about every cultural revolution — from hippies to hip hop — ever since. 

Even today, the 150+ year-old denim jean remains near the peak of its powers: a whopping 90% of Americans wear jeans at least occasionally. But how have jeans survived, and indeed thrived, through all of these eras?

Dive back into: Denim never dies: Why America still loves jeans

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One name to rule them all

When it comes to tech startups, what’s in a name?

Today, a lot of them end with “AI.” Sometimes, you pivot and change the name to reflect your company’s new focus. And sometimes you just want to evoke a mythic power and flex your nerdy bona fides.

There’s one source of inspiration that tech startups have turned to more than others: the works of JRR Tolkien. Especially when venture capitalist Peter Thiel is involved.

This week the Financial Times reported that Thiel, along with Palmer Luckey, the cofounder of weapons and surveillance systems manufacturer Anduril, returned to Middle Earth for the name of the new national bank they’re starting to take the place of Silicon Valley Bank. Indeed, “Erebor Bank” takes its name from Erebor, otherwise known as the “Lonely Mountain,” which featured prominently in Tolkien’s 1937 novel “The Hobbit.”

But can you pick out the real company names inspired by Tolkien’s works from the fake ones we made up?

Play online: Behold! Another “Lord of the Rings”-inspired company is revealed

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Sherwood Media, LLC produces fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully owned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate... See more