Shoe shopping time is an enormous task. Isn’t it? First of all, we decide what type of shoes we want – sandals, sports shoes, boots, slippers, slip-ons etc. Then, we move on to decide which one looks nicest – the green one or the black one, the brown one or pink  or purple. The final deciding factor being comfort!

Thousands of years ago, people were not a lucky as we are now. In those times, travelling on feet was the primary way to travel and the terrains were rough and rocky. People felt the need to protect their feet. But neither there were fancy materials nor ways to create fancy shoes. Shoes were extremely simple. Just the bare minimum that was needed to cover the feet. The first ever shoes made were like a sandal with a rigid sole. They were probably created by early Egyptians. They were made out of papyrus and palm leaves. Kings wore special sandals with a toe pointing upward in a spiral. Others wore plain-toed sandals.  Slaves were not allowed to wear shoes at all.

The next significant step in shoe making was when the sole and an upper part was stitched together. It was then turned inside out to hide the stitching. These more sturdy shoes were  made out of animal skin. Meat of hunted animals was eaten, and the skin was used to make clothes and shoes. These shoes looked like “foot bags” of leather.

For the first time, in the 1800s, shoes were made using simple machines. This made shoe making easy and quick. These days, there are highly specialized machines in shoe factories that can make million shoes a month.

Did you know?

Cinderella, The red shoes and  Wizard of Oz are few children tales where a shoe plays an important part.