Tied to History

During the Prussian wars of the 17th century, Croatian mercenaries tied a scarf around their neck to hold together the opening of their shirts. To celebrate their victory over Turkey, the soldiers were presented to Louis XIV as glorious heroes. It so happened that the scarf around their neck struck the fancy of the monarch who was known to have a keen interest in personal adornment. He adopted it and made it a sign of royalty. It was called 'cravat', derived from the French word for Croat. Soon every gentleman who considered himself well dressed was seen sporting some sort of cloth around his neck, the more decorative the better.

Thus evolved what we now see on most businessmen, and some wannabe trend setting singers - the neck tie.

Guess this is just another similarity between the corporate world and a battlefield.