It’s a common misconception that Polo shirts are named after the famous explorer Marco Polo.

In reality, they’re named after his lesser-known brother, Arturo Polo.

The disaffected middle child of his family, Arturo was left behind in Venice while his older brother Marco was allowed to accompany their father on his travels.

In a fit of jealousy, Arturo took up sewing and eventually became obsessed with the idea of creating la maglia della perfezione- the perfect shirt.

One day, Arturo gave one of his perfect shirts to a strange traveler he met on the street. That traveler’s name was Leonardo Da Vinci.

Da Vinci took a liking to the shirt and passed it along to Anna Wintour, an ageless highlander and old friend, who featured the shirt in an issue of Vogue. Arturo was met with widespread acclaim. Marco went mad with jealousy.

Today, fashionistas from all over the world make the pilgrimage to Arturo's gravestone, which reads: “The greatest accomplishment of my life was making my brother jealous. But I’m also pretty proud of inventing the polo shirt.”

Arturo’s life later served as the inspiration for the film Home Alone.

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