The southern states, virtually devoid of non-slave labour, relied on the people flocking to the mills of Lancashire to turn their fleecy raw material into finished cloth.

ECONOMIST: Cotton

Another addition to the jockey wardrobe at White Turf is an oversized pair of fleecy slippers which would look less out of place on a circus clown -- vital footwear to cover riding boots while hanging around on a frozen lake before the race.

CNN: Cool racing: Horses battle on snow