Shoes in the News Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sandals

Sandals dating back for at least 10,000 years have been found in different sites around the United States. These were constructed out the bark from different bushes or trees. By the time people were wearing sandals in Ancient Greece, different styles of sandals could indicate the profession of their wearers. Short sandals usually indicated philosophers, and actors who played comedy, while ones designed to go half way up the calf were worn by horsemen, men in important positions in society, and actors who played tragedy.

Some of these of course were tragic actors. Comically so, these latter ones had inserts in the heels so as to add to the height of the man wearing them. And they say women are conscious of their appearance. Today sandals come in all shapes and sizes.

They're easy to slip on, comfortable to wear, and are usually worn without stockings or socks.

Answer: North America

Moccasins were made from the softened leather of the hide of animals such as deer or buffalo. The sole of the moccasin was soft and comfortable as well, depending on which part of the continent the wearer lived, and the top was usually decorated in some form of beading or other decoration.

Interestingly moccasins were usually only wore outdoors, when hunting or taking part in any other outdoor activity. Indian peoples from the eastern side of North America wore far softer soles than those who lived further west of the continent.

This is because the ground in the eastern forests was softer to walk upon from being strewn with thousands of fallen leaves day every day. Indian people further west, on the other hand, wore harder soles to protect their tootsies from hard rocks and prickly cactus plants.

Answer: Clogs

It would seem that walking around in wooden shoes would be a form of daily torture, but this is not the case. Instead, clogs tend to be carved to suit the shape of the sole of the foot, making them surprisingly comfortable. Some need to be gripped with the toes to hold them on, but others are fastened on by various other means. Though records of wooden footwear appear from time in the early history of different countries and cultures, it is believed that clogs originated in the early Celtic and Germanic regions of northern Europe. Such was their popularity and comfort that they were a regular sight right up to World War II. Following that bloodbath however, they disappeared for a time and were replaced, to the alarm of animals everywhere, by shoes made out of leather. Now and then however, they make a resurgence as a fashion item. Clogs make a lovely clopping horse-like sound as one walks around in them, particularly appealing to a Sagittarian.

Answer: Thongs

In fact, it can be downright unfortunate at times for an Australian having a conversation with anyone from overseas, if the Australian informs that person that his or her thongs look comfortable. Thongs, surprisingly, have been around since 4,000 BC. They appear to have originated in early Egypt.

They were even worn in Israel during the time of Jesus Christ. Hmmm, the Lord in flip-flops doesn't quite do it for me I'm afraid. However, this style of footwear made its way across the rest of the world in one form or another from that time, and Americans took them home with them from Japan after World War II. How they came to be called thongs here in Australia is anybody's guess, apart from the very logical fact that a thong of rubber or leather goes between the first two toes to hold them on.

The shoes, not the toes. Doctors do NOT like thongs. Because they flop up and down at the back, they result in many injuries to the feet, such as sprains, broken bones, stubbed toes and so on. In this country though, thongs are probably here to stay.

They're comfortable, quick to slip on, and make an inexpensive and convenient item to hurl at politicians. But oh please, I beg of those who favour them - please don't wear them with socks. It's a gruesome sight.

Answer: Sport

Every English speaking country has a different name for these shoes. Americans usually refer to them as sneakers or kicks, the British call them plimsolls or trainers, Canadians and Australians call them runners or sneakers, South Africans call them tackies - and so on. Whatever they're referred to, these are comfortable shoes used in many different areas of life today. The bottom half is made from rubber or synthetic materials while the upper half is usually leather of some sort. Once inexpensive and easy to buy, the fad for sneakers has become ridiculous, with people paying outrageous prices for brand name shoes that provide the exact same function as a pair bought from any low priced department store or shoe shop. Sportspeople who wear sneakers for their games usually have their shoes specially made and designed, and it's somewhat of a self-delusion if you believe you're wearing the same sort of shoe these people are seen wearing in their various fields of endeavour.

My daughter was a bridesmaid recently. When I looked at her in the church, wearing her long, beautiful and elegant gown, I sighed momentarily with maternal pride, before suddenly stiffening up with horror. She had removed her beautiful matching pair of high heeled shoes - and replaced them with a pair of her favourite comfortable sneakers instead.

Answer: Yes

Believe it or not this is in fact true. High heels for men have been recorded back as far back as the 9th century. Let me hasten to assure all the outraged, blustering gentlemen out there however, who feel an attack has been made upon their masculinity, that there was a purpose behind this diabolical invention. High heels were designed to enable men to keep their feet in the stirrups more securely when horseriding. I would have loved to have seen them walking in them after descending from their steeds. Today, high heels are typically worn by poor unfortunate women.

They are considered a must have fashion item, supposed to give the illusion of long and slender legs. Don't believe this for one minute. It's a communist plot to hobble women everywhere, ladies and gentlemen! And to add insult to injury, we don't even get a horse to go along with them.

Answer: The French Revolution

Women were allowed to dance on stage in ballet from the year 1682, some twenty years after the Royal Academy of Dance had been formed in France. One hundred years later, one of its leading female dancers, one Marie Camargo, refused to wear the heeled shoes any longer as she said it impeded her dancing agility.

This remarkable woman also introduced shorter ballet skirts and tights as well. It would take the follow up French Revolution in the same century that saw the complete elimination of heels from ballet shoes altogether, and women were now able to fully express the grace and beauty of their craft without clumping round on stage in heels. So as you see, it wasn't only heads that were removed in the French Revolution.

Heels were taken off as well.

Answer: Gaul

Galoshes can be traced right back to those long ago days in Gaul, when Gaulish shoes were known as gallicae. This was a shoe that had its top half made from leather and a sole made from wood - and the galoshes we wear today over our normal shoes during rainy weather, evolved from that. Today of course, galoshes are made completely from rubber or an equivalent synthetic material. Though this is still debated - and it's hard to believe anyone would debate the design of galoshes - Charles Goodyear (1800-1860), the gent associated with the manufacture of vulcanized rubber (no Johnny, I don't mean Mr Spock) is believed to have created the style of galoshes we readily recognise today.

He designed them to be easy to pull on and remove. Prior to this, they were still that long ago Gaulish design of strap on leather tops with wooden soles which the Romans took back with them and introduced to much of the then known world all that time ago.

Answer: Hoofers

The origin of tap dancing has links to Irish dance and early African Americans. The Irish step dance, where the top half of the body usually remains still while the legs do all the work, evolved out of the desire to keep the eyes of an audience fixed on the intricacies of the dance steps without being distracted by upper body movements of the dancers. Early African-Americans took this style of dance and added their own special touches to it, and from this eventually came tap, Broadway tap, as we know it today. First came the hoofers, then the minstrels, then such greats as Bill Bojangles Robinson, Sammy Davis Junior, Fred Astaire, and Gene Kelly, all contributing to the constantly evolving and one of the most entertaining forms of dance to ever take the stage, the tap dance. I love it.

Answer: Horseshoes

I tell ya, why it's downright uncomfortable walkin' round on these city slicker roads barefoot when you're a noble beast such as meself. So those human critters came up with the idea of making metal shoes fer fellers like meself to protect our hooves. Me old grandpa, God bless 'im, as fine a bay that ever did bray, told me horseshoes in one form or another, been around since 400 BC. BC stands for Before Carrots in case you didn't know. I tried to get me little mare, Whinny, to wear high heeled horseshoes but she just said neigh, gave me the old horse laugh, and told me to stop makin' an ass of myself. Stubborn as a mule she is, ee-yup.