The prolog about karate belt colors is not true. I like the story of how you start with a white belt and practice so long it turns to black, but in reality the colors do have some symbolic meaning. After reading the full article I am not sure if it's author's sense of humor or just misquoting :)
They are a modern invention, but the Karate belts were not made just for westerners given that Funakoshi introduced them in Japan for kyuu ranks (after consulting with the founder of Judo).
