This bow tie was worn by Bill Nye (b. 1955) on the groundbreaking science education TV Show Bill Nye the Science Guy. Nye grew up in Washington D.C. and studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University. He moved to Seattle to work for Boeing and later Sundstrand Data Control. While working as an engineer, he also became interested in standup and the local comedy scene and wore bow ties to set himself apart. In 1986 he left his full-time engineering job and became a writer and performer on the Seattle comedy show Almost Live! He started doing comedic science demonstrations which were a big hit with the Almost Live! audience. The bow ties came in handy there too—he could look put together on camera without the risk of a long tie getting caught on something or even lighting on fire during a demonstration. Nye continued wearing bow ties on his own TV show, which was produced and filmed in Seattle.