31 Funny Facts About Shoes: Here's Everything You Should Know

Did you know heels were primarily designed for men?

A shoemaker from the Middle East first designed shoes with heels. This design was made to deal with the hot sand of the desert.

Isn't it funny what was once designed for men has become a hot cake for women. Not just that, did you know shoes were first made 8000 years ago and they were made from animal skin or wood.

The first boots used appeared in a cave painting from Spain and dated between 12,000 and 15,000. The first pair of heels were made some 400 years ago, made of wood. Our footwear has come a long way from those wooden shoes to our designer Jimmy choo!

Did you know boots were also found in ancient tombs from Egypt? In the ancient world, boots represented power and authority. Also, there was once a time when there was no distinction between the left and right shoes. After 1818, shoes were made for comfort, and the first pair of left and right shoes were made in Philadelphia.

Culture And Folklore Around Shoes

Read some interesting culture and folklore facts about shoes:

Did you know shoe was one way to identify a person's economic class, fashion taste, and culture?

Shoes are considered an important element of the afterlife in Egyptian culture.

Gifting shoes to a poor man is considered a good custom in many cultures.

The Japanese consider it disrespectful to wear shoes inside the house.

It was believed that tossing old boots at departing ships would ensure that the sailors returned home safely in the olden days.

The most expensive pair of heels was sold for $660,000 in 2000. They were a pair of ruby slippers used in the movie, The Wizard of Oz - a real collector's item.

Tying shoes to the bumper of the car carrying a newlywed couple from the church is believed to help the couple have a happily married life.

In Hungary, the groom has a drink from his wife's wedding slipper as a toast to her.

In some parts of the world, people believe that placing one shoe facing inwards and the pair facing outwards in a doorway can keep devils out of the house.

It is against the law for anyone with smelly feet in a theater in Winnetka, Illinois, to take off their shoes.

In parts of China, a bride's wedding shoes are embroidered with turtle or deer motifs to symbolize happiness, blessings, and longevity.

As a result of losing a bet, a German film director named Werner Herzog cooked his shoe in duck fat and garlic and ate it before a live audience.

In Anglo-Saxon weddings, it was customary for the father of the bride to give the groom one of the bride's shoes. The groom then lightly touched the bride's head with the shoe.

Construction (Research And Development)

While sneakers may be manufactured in a factory for mass production, haute couture heels are handmade by a shoe cobbler. Here are a few interesting facts about shoe construction.

Shoes have been sold only as a pair of right and left shoes since the 19th century. The shoe size and cut were the same for each foot until then.

Men and women in Europe wore the same style of shoes until the 18th century.

Till the early 1300s, barleycorn was used to measure shoe sizes. King Edward II declared that 1 in (2.54 cm) was equivalent to the length of three barleycorns. It is still used as the basis for shoe sizes in some countries.

Initially, shoemaking was one of the many family businesses passed down from generation to generation.

There are over 100 operations involved in making a single shoe.

According to fashion historians, an Italian noblewoman named Catherine de Medici is believed to have been one of the first women to wear heels.

In 1845, the Rolling Machine became the first piece of machinery to find a permanent spot in the shoe industry. It was used in place of a lapstone and hammer to pound sole leather.

In 1858, a shoemaker named Lyman R.Blake invented the machine that could sew the upper of a shoe to the sole. Gordon McKay bought and improved the design, and the designs made on this machine were subsequently called 'McKays.'

Mexican cowboy boots can have a pointed toe as long as 39 in (99.06 cm).

Christian Louboutin painted the shoe inspired by Andy Warhol's painting called 'Flowers.'

Types Of Shoes

There are hundreds of different types of shoes, sneakers, and heels. Here are a few facts about the different types of footwear.

Sneakers are made using rubber soles which make no sound.

Sneakers are undoubtedly one of the most loved types of footwear across the world because of the style and comfort associated with sneakers.

Salvatore Ferragamo created wedge heels in the '40s.

Chelsea boots evolved from the first pair of boots for women. Queen Victoria wore this pair in 1837. After Queen Victoria, many women started wearing boots.

Platform heels were worn by the Greeks to symbolize their status in society. The higher the platform, the higher their social standing.

High heels were once a symbol of high social status.

The original Doc Martens were designed in 1960 to be reliable men's work shoes.

Stilettos get their name from a Latin word meaning small knife. They were designed first in 1954 by Roger Emanuel.

Open-toed sandals became popular around the '30s after sunbathing became trendy.

Clogs originally referred to wooden shoes worn by the Dutch. They were also called Klompens.

'Bill Nye designed slippers' worn by ballet dancers. They are still the only pairs of shoes worn onstage by ballet dancers.

Heel-less footwear with support placed under the arch instead of the heel was first designed in the '30s.

FAQs

Q: What are some interesting facts about a shoe designer?

A: Jimmy Choo, one of the most well-known shoe designers, was only 11 years old when designing his first pair of shoes.

Q: Who made the first shoe?

A: The earliest sign of footwear dates back to 7000-8000 BC. The world's oldest leather shoe is believed to have been made around 3500 BCE.

Q: What is the most famous pair of shoes?

A: A pair of red slippers made with 4,600 rubies by the House of Harry Winston is one of the most famous pairs of shoes. Judy Garland wore these shoes in The Wizard of Oz.

Q: How to clean white canvas shoes?

A: White canvas shoes can be washed with a laundry detergent solution. You can also brush them with a baking soda and vinegar mixture diluted in water to brighten the shoes.

Q: How to clean tennis shoes?

A: Tennis shoes can be cleaned by washing them with regular detergent.

Q: Where are new balance shoes made?

A: New Balance shoes are manufactured in the USA and the UK.

Q: How to get the smell out of shoes?

A: Spraying the inside of your pairs of shoes with a solution of vinegar and water can help remove foul odors. Alternatively, you can sprinkle baking soda inside your shoes and leave them overnight.

Q: Why do horses need shoes?

A: Horseshoes serve a protective role. They protect and strengthen the horse's hooves and cushion the hooves in the case of high-impact activities like running or showjumping.