Who invented the Neck Tie?

So just who invented the Neck Tie?

History of the Neck Tie:

Many millions of men wear these daily around their necks, sometimes drawing attention to themselves when a certain tie design catches a person's eye. It is common place in many societies and even mandatory in some social settings.

The use of a neck tie dates back to Bible times and can be read of at Genesis 41:42 when Pharaoh of Egypt gave Joseph a necklace of gold.

Also warriors for the Chinese emperor Cheng (Shih Huang Ti) wore a scarflike cloth folded around the neck, indicating their rank.*

While these above accounts can be researched and studied another time period claims to have invented the "modern neck tie".

A town in Belgium named Steenkerke, claims the honor of having “invented” the necktie. In 1692, English forces made a surprise attack on French troops stationed there. According to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, “the [French] officers had no time to dress correctly. But without ado, they tied their uniform scarves around the neck with a loose knot and pushed the ends through the buttonholes of their jacket. Voilà, the birth of the necktie in its original form.” *

So soldiers in Steenkerke were the first to make the scarf into a knotted tie.

References:
*5/8/1996 Awake pg 31

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