15 Fun Facts About Shoes That Most of Us Have Never Heard Of

Footwear is something we can’t imagine our lives without today. It also has a very long, extensive, and highly entertaining history, which few people have delved into. How shoes used to be measured, how much the most expensive pair costs, the meaning behind Dorothy’s red shoes from The Wizard of Oz, and much more — this wardrobe item can surprise even the most knowledgeable.

Here at CHEERY, we’ve unearthed some curious facts about footwear that are sure to raise some eyebrows.

Shoes used to be measured in barley.

In Roman times, shoemakers used barley to measure foot length when making sandals — one inch was equivalent to three grains of barley. In 1324, King Edward II of England issued a decree making barley grains the official unit of measurement for shoe size. The ’39 barleycorn size’, for example, corresponded to the modern size 13.

The “barley system” is still the basis for shoe measurement in the United Kingdom, Irelan,d and some former colonies of the British Empire.

The most expensive pair of shoes in the world, the “Moon Star Shoes”, costs nearly $20 million.

This exclusive pair, presented in October 2019, is by Italian designer Antonio Vietri. The heels are made of a solid piece of gold. In addition, the shoes are inlaid with 30-carat diamonds and pieces of an Argentine meteorite from around 1576.

The “Moon Star Shoes” are a tribute to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, located in Dubai, UAE.

Dorothy’s red shoes are a symbol of struggle and rebellion.

The main character’s shoes in The Wizard of Oz have become one of the most iconic pieces of costume in cinematic history. According to the story, Dorothy, an average teenager living on a farm in Kansas, steals the red shoes from the Wicked Witch and subsequently uses them to free the downtrodden inhabitants of Oz. In this way, they represent the little man’s ability to defeat powerful forces.

At first, sneakers were just called “sneaks”.

All because the wearers of these shoes could walk around in them completely silently, like nimble burglars or other criminals. Over time, the name changed and became the sneakers we’re all familiar with today.

The wedge heel is the result of an experiment.

At the end of the 1930s, Italy was faced with a shortage of leather and natural rubber, the traditional raw materials used in shoe-making at the time. Designer Salvatore Ferragamo started looking for a way out, which lead him to experiment with less conventional materials, including straw, felt, cork and wood.

As a result, he created his legendary cork wedge heels, which became extremely popular with women in the following years due to their lightness and durability.

The oldest leather footwear known today is a 5,500-year-old shoe.

The shoe was found by archaeologists in 2008, in excellent condition, in an Armenian cave. Presumably, the shoe was preserved so well thanks to the sheep dung and grass it was stuffed with. It isn’t known whether the shoes belonged to a man or a woman, but they correspond to a modern woman’s size 7 by US standards.

Carrie Bradshaw’s shoe collection is valued at over $40,000.

The number of shoes in the shot reaches 50 pairs, from stiletto heels to flip-flops. Among them, there are famous brands such as Dior, Jimmy Choo, and, of course, Manolo Blahnik.

Scientists advise leaving your shoes outside.

In some countries, it’s not customary to take off your shoes when you come home, let alone leave them outside of the living area. Lamentably so, however, as scientists have concluded that shoe soles are a cesspool of germs, toxins from concrete surfaces, lawn chemicals, and other harmful substances.

The first-ever women’s shoes with an elastic band were made for Queen Victoria in 1837.

They were designed by shoemaker Joseph Sparkes Hall and presented to the Queen when she ascended the throne. Hall noted in his book that Her Majesty was very pleased with the design, and the shoemaker himself was extremely honored.

He said he had been working on the design for several years, as he knew that Queen Victoria loved walking and doing outdoor activities, which could not be performed without comfortable and flexible shoes. It was these shoes that served as the prototype for the now popular Chelsea boot.

In the City of Marikina, Philippines, you can see the biggest pair of shoes in the world.

A size 41+ shoe from leftover material was built by Tarrosilio Salvador Jr., the owner of a shoe factory, when he found out he had cancer. He was inspired to fulfill an old dream of his and create the biggest pair of shoes in the world. The shoe is made of PVC and synthetic rubber and weighs 32 tonnes, the equivalent of 10 full-truck loads.

The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Salvador Junior’s creation as the biggest pair of shoes in the world. The giant shoes are now a local landmark and a popular tourist attraction. Anyone who feels so inclined can climb inside.

An average American woman has about 19 pairs of shoes.

This was the conclusion reached by Consumer Reports National Research Center in a survey of 1,057 women. Interestingly, they only wear 4 pairs regularly. The survey also found that, on average, US women buy four pairs of shoes a year, with 13% admitting to hiding them from their significant other, for example, by sneaking them into the house unboxed.

It was only in 1818 that shoes started to be made specifically for the left and right foot.

Before that time, there was no such distinction. The first pair of shoes tailored for the right and the left foot was made in Philadelphia in 1818. It can be assumed that, previously, footwear was scarcely associated with comfort and convenience.

Christian Louboutin’s iconic red sole was inspired by nail polish.

In 1993, the designer was working on a pair of shoes based on Andy Warhol’s painting Flowers. When it came to the soles, though, Louboutin felt they were missing something: the shoes came out as bright as the flowers in the picture, but the classic black sole didn’t suit them.

While Louboutin was puzzling over the design, his assistant was painting her nails. Suddenly, the designer had an idea — he grabbed the red nail polish and used it to paint the shoe soles. This element subsequently became a trademark of the brand.

Jimmy Choo made his first pair of shoes at the age of 11.

The now world-famous shoe designer was born into a shoemaker’s family. Jimmy’s father dreamed that his son would follow in his footsteps, and that he did. At an early age, Choo immersed himself in the world of shoe making, and by the age of 11 he had made his first pair.

He opened his first shop at the respectable age of 38, in a former hospital in Hackney, England, but just two years later, Choo’s shoes were featured on an 8-page spread in Vogue magazine.

The designer of New Balance sneakers was inspired by chickens.

The Boston-based company originally produced insoles and specialized in shoes for people who spend all day on their feet. The brand got its name, New Balance, from chickens — founder William J. Riley had long watched chickens in his backyard maintain perfect balance by moving on their three-clawed feet.

“Chickens have perfect balance. All you have to do is watch them as they peck around the yard,” commented Riley, on his source of inspiration. He designed the arches for his shoes based on a three-pronged model, taking into account the anatomy of the human foot. This ensured the optimum balance when transferring weight from one foot to the other. In 1938 Riley designed his first pair of New Balance trainers for a local running club.

Do you know any fun facts about shoes?