Paisley

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You know, it's hard to imagine becoming rich on a bit of thread. I mean, there can't be much profit in a bobbin's worth, surely? But pause to consider under what circumstances thread is used, and before very long you will realise that it is in absolutely everything, from clothing to watch-straps and tents, and that without it the whole planet would more than likely come apart at the seams. There's probably even some bit of kit in yon space station, way up there somewhere, that is held together by thread.
As such, it may not surprise you to learn that at the height of Paisley's thread industry the world-famous mills of Coats and Clark employed around ten thousand people in the town. So rich did the sowing-thread magnates become that the Paisley that you see today is largely down to the efforts of these men to put something back into the town. They gifted a park, an observatory, a church, the town hall and so much more to make their workers' lives just that little bit more tolerable.
So, the next time your socks need a bit of darning and you have to dig out the sowing-box, pause to give thanks to men like Thomas Coats.