Step Into the Fun: 9 Fascinating Facts About Shoes You Never Knew!

1. Adidas Stripes' Hidden Symbol

Have you ever looked at your Adidas sneakers and thought, "Wow, just three stripes stand between me and a major fashion faux pas"? Well, it turns out those stripes are more than just a fashion statement: The mountain-shaped motif they create is actually symbolic of the challenges and goals people need to conquer on their path to success.
Source => economictimes.indiatimes.com

2. Roman Soldiers' Sandal-smiths

Before podiatrists marched with the soldiers, Roman sandal-smiths led the charge: Roman shoemakers, or sutors, were esteemed craftsmen who journeyed alongside the army, crafting sturdy caligae sandals for the legion's feet using foot-shaped wooden blocks and iron tools that left distinctive footprints, still visible today at Israel's Hippos-Sussita archaeological site.
Source => unrv.com

Did you know that Nike's famous logo was inspired by a mythical creature with a talent for flying high? Discover the connection between the goddess of victory and your favorite activewear brand!

=> Fun Facts about Nike

3. Horseshoes as Currency

In a time when a hoof-full of horseshoes was worth its weight in gold, these sturdy iron loops made everyone feel a little less "horse poor" when settling debts: Back in 12th century England, iron horseshoes were actually used as a form of currency or to pay off debts, eventually becoming symbols of good luck and talismans to ward off the devil.
Source => griggsequestrian.co.uk

4. Dali's High-Heeled Hat

Who said shoes are only for your feet? Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli clearly didn't get the memo: they once fashioned a high-heeled hat inspired by a Dali photo where he wore shoes on his head and shoulder, resulting in an unforgettable ensemble complete with a black dress and jacket embroidered with red-lipped Mae West tributes.
Source => metmuseum.org

5. High Heels and Social Status

Who says size doesn't matter? When it came to shoes in the 17th century, the higher the heel, the higher your social standing, and both men and women were head over heels for this trend – quite literally: During this time, high heels were worn by men and women to show off their status, with the style being introduced to France from Persia, where men wore them for practical purposes while horseback riding. Even Louis XIV, the Sun King, was known for his penchant for red heels, allowing only a select group of noblemen to follow suit at court.
Source => blogs.getty.edu

6. World's Oldest Leather Shoe

If the shoe fits, wear it for 5,500 years: Archaeologists uncovered the world's oldest known leather shoe, nestled in an Armenian cave, predating the Great Pyramid of Giza by a cool millennium. This ancient fashion statement, created from a single piece of cowhide leather and carefully shaped to hug the wearer's foot, owes its astonishing preservation to stable conditions, a layer of sheep dung, and a lack of wardrobe updates in the Vayotz Dzor province.
Source => reuters.com

7. 100,000 Mile Lifetime Walk

If the Proclaimers really did walk 500 miles and then 500 more just to be the one who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door, they'd barely scratch the surface of the average wanderer's life journey: In fact, the average person walks about 100,000 miles throughout their lifetime, which is like circumnavigating Earth four times - now that's a commitment to comfy shoes!
Source => reddit.com

8. Customized 3D-Printed Shoes

In a world where Cinderella's prince might have just used a smartphone to find his glass-slipper-donning damsel, behold a modern-day footwear fairy tale: Feetz, a 3D printing company, creates customized shoes made almost entirely with 3D printing technology, with only the fabric lining employing traditional methods. The company crafts shoes within one to two millimeters of customers' foot sizes based on digital foot photos, and even uses recyclable, biodegradable materials, allowing customers to send back their worn out shoes to be reincarnated into fresh footwear.
Source => 3dshoes.com

9. Record-Breaking Size 18 Feet

For those who think Bigfoot is merely a myth, meet his female counterpart stomping through the real world: Tanya Herbert recently shattered the Guinness World Record for the world's largest feet on a living woman, with her right foot measuring a whopping 13.03 inches and her left foot measuring 12.79 inches. Saddled with size 18 feet, Tanya often trudges through the internet for shoes that fit and hopes her record-breaking story inspires shoe brands to cater to all the giants out there, providing a wider range of sizes that are both customizable and affordable.
Source => chron.com