by Emmy Blotnick
Want to trace the source of your snazzy computer - enable running shoes ? It begin with a infantry bag .
50,000—20,000 BCE
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undermine paintings show Isle of Man wear primitive baglike foot coverings made from animal skin , grass , and bark . Resourceful ? Definitely . Stylish ? Only if you like the baggy look .
3500 BCE
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Ancient Egyptians initiate the earth ’s first flip - flop using Egyptian paper rush , flax , and palm . The shoes are also the first to have soles impost fitted for right field and left feet . No wonder everyone wants to walk like an Egyptian .
2000 BCE
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Indians popularise knob sandals — flip - flop with straps view as together by a elephantine knob . Since cows are hallowed to Hindus , the footgear is craft from velvet . Prince would approve .
1100 BCE
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petite four - column inch lotus blossom shoes are all the craze in China thanks to leg it binding , which leaves voguish cleaning lady ineffectual to walk . destined feet become a position symbol for ladies of leisure who do n’t need to work or walk to markets . The praxis is n’t outlawed until 1912 .
794 CE
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The Japanese begin to favour geta shoe , which are more or less summerset - flops done patten - style . The sandals ’ wooden platforms range from two to 12 inches and raise the wearer above common multitude . By the metre the style migrate to Turkey , the shoes are made even more playfulness when they ’re renamed kip - kaps or kub - kobs , for the sound they make while walking .
5th–15th Century CE
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Weird - sounding , short - live style start to surface in medieval Europe , include square- toed “ duckbill ” shoes and sabbatons ( alloy shoes wear with armor ) . The former are meant to be fashionable but make people waddle , while the latter protect feet against injury but are too heavy for anyone but Iron Man to wear on a even basis .
15th–16th Century CE
predominate platforms called chopine become must - haves for European social club ladies — the high the chopine , the fancy the lady . But the shoes make walk so rugged that wearer need attendants . Basically , chopine devotees were slaves to fashion — Lady Gagas before there was Lady Gaga .
19th Century CE
Arthur Wellesley , the Duke of Wellington , has his cobbler create a softer version of an sometime military rush . Later , the shoes are cast in waterproof rubber and become wellies , the preferred boot for stomping in puddle .
Shoes start to take the classy , classic flesh we know , with man favoring loafers and brogues while women wear out heels that allow them to really take the air . Good oeuvre , mankind !
20th Century CE
Men ’s shoes evolve into light shoes in leather , rubber , and sail . Sneakers get their name because the sole are so quiet you may purloin up on somebody , the carrefour of “ highly operable ” and “ mildly creepy . ”
21st Century CE
So far , the 21st one C has had its share of innovative fashion nightmares : Astroturf - sole sandal , flip - flop with beer bottle unfastener in the fillet of sole , Crocs , those toe - separator running shoe . On the plus side , at least udder shoes have n’t made a return with fans of the trendy palaeolithic workout … yet .
