We suspect that a lot of people don’t know just how good a shoe deodorizing spray ShoeFresh actually is. No worries. We get it. There are a lot of things people don’t know about shoes in general. For many of us, shoes are purely functional, and we rarely take the time to think about how our modern shoes came to be.
We thought it might be interesting to dig into the history of footwear to see what we could learn. Needless to say, we learned a lot. Below are three of the most fascinating things we discovered. And of course, we had to consider each one in light of offering what we believe to be the best shoe odor eliminator in the industry.
1. High Heels Have a Military Origin
It has been said on many occasions that military operations are responsible for a lot of inventions that become mainstream products. Whether or not this is true, it turns out that high heels originally had a military origin. They were not developed for fashion purposes. Moreover, they weren’t even worn by women back in the day.
History suggests that the Persian Empire came up with high heels to support their much-feared cavalry. Persia’s horsemen were feared for their riding skills and deadly accuracy with bow and arrow. They owe their shooting accuracy, in part, to boots with high heels.
Imagine standing up in the stirrups while your horse is galloping at full speed. High heels would be a big help to maintain your stability. Guess what? That is exactly why the Persians started equipping their horsemen with high-heeled shoes. It wasn’t until Persia reached out to develop political ties with Europe that high heels became desirable among the fashion-conscious aristocrats of the West.
2. Sneakers Are so Named Because They Are Quiet
What other cultures refer to as trainers we Americans call sneakers. Have you ever wondered where that name came from? According to history, sneakers got their name in the 1800s from the fact that they are quiet to walk in. Their rubber soles barely make any noise compared to the wooden soles of other types of shoes. Wearing such quiet footwear allows a person to sneak up on someone else without being heard.
Understand that the first few generations of sneakers were not the athletic shoes we know today. They were every day shoes meant for leisure, but they were not designed around improving or supporting athletic performance. They evolved into athletic shoes when athletes discovered how comfortable they could be.
3. Platform Shoes Got Their Start in the Theater
Today’s platform shoes are all about style. Some people wear them to increase their stature, taking a page from the Greek theater scene thousands of years ago. It turns out that Greek actors wore the first iteration of platform shoes on stage to designate their social positions. The higher the shoes, the more important the actor. Any actors outfitted in regular shoes or socks were on the lowest strata of the theater’s caste system.
The history of shoes contains a lot of interesting facts most people are unaware of. But that is probably true of a lot of things. What is most important to us, as a company whose business is based on eliminating foot and shoe odors, is that people are comfortable in the shoes they wear. We believe a good shoe deodorizing spray is a positive step in that direction. ShoeFresh will make you more comfortable about wearing your shoes – and taking them off at the end of the day.