History of Shoes Timeline

Shoemaking became more commercialized in the mid-18th century as production expanded as a cottage industry.

During the 19th century, shoemaking changed from a traditional handicraft into an almost completely mechanized factory process.

In 1812, a scheme was devised for machinery that would automatically fasten boot soles to uppers with metallic pins or nails.

When the war ended in 1815, manual labor became cheaper and demand for military equipment declined, limiting mechanized boot production.

The sewing machine was introduced in 1846 and provided an alternative route to mechanizing shoemaking.

Image source: Sewing machine

Tomas Crick, a shoemaker in Leicester, patented a riveting machine in 1853.

American inventor Lyman Blake created a shoe-stitching machine in 1856; it was perfected by 1864.

The United States Rubber Company was founded in 1892 and produced rubber-soled and heeled shoes under several brand names.

Humphrey O'Sullivan of Lowell, Massachusetts, received a patent for a rubber heel for boots and shoes.

The AGO system of stitchless, glued shoes was developed in 1910.

Shoe salesman Mahlon Haines built a house shaped like a work boot in Hallam, Pennsylvania, as an advertisement; it remains a roadside attraction.

The share of shoe imports in the United States rose from 4% in 1960 to 89% by 1995 as globalization transformed manufacturing.

Marikina produced 70% of shoes sold domestically in the Philippines during the 1970s and 1980s.

The 1985 comedy The Man with One Red Shoe centers on an eccentric man whose one normal business shoe and one red shoe become central to the plot.

After the Philippines joined the World Trade Organization in 1995, inexpensive shoes from China, Taiwan, and elsewhere harmed Marikina's shoe industry.

After Saddam Hussein's statue was toppled in Iraq in 2003, people struck it with their shoes, demonstrating the shoe's insulting symbolism.

The global shoe industry had an estimated revenue of $107.4 billion in 2007 and was expected to reach $122.9 billion by the end of 2012.

In 2008, a journalist threw a shoe at United States President George W. Bush as a protest against the Iraq War.

The earliest athletic shoes, dating to the mid-19th century, were track spikes with metal cleats for traction.

The New Liverpool Rubber Company made the earliest rubber-soled athletic shoes in Britain in 1876, producing plimsolls for croquet.

Image source: Plimsoll (shoe)

Humphrey O'Sullivan made similar rubber-soled shoes in the United States in 1892 using Charles Goodyear's technology.

Rubber shoe brands of the United States Rubber Company were consolidated under the name Keds in 1916.

Paul A. Sperry invented the first boat shoe in 1935.

Since the mid-20th century, rubber, plastics, synthetic cloth, and industrial adhesives have enabled footwear designs far removed from traditional crafting.

Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman founded Nike in 1964, introducing improvements such as waffle rubber soles, breathable nylon uppers, and cushioning.

Image source: Nike, Inc.

Puma introduced the first sneakers with Velcro straps instead of shoelaces in 1968; they became especially popular among children and older people by the 1980s.

Taylor was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969 in recognition of his development of basketball footwear.

The Mondopoint system was introduced through ISO 2816:1973 and ISO 3355:1975, measuring both foot length and width.

Image source: Shoe size

Nike introduced the Air Jordan in April 1985, naming the basketball shoe after then-rookie Chicago Bulls player Michael Jordan.

Image source: Air Jordan

Most mass-produced shoes are estimated to require approximately 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill.

Minimalist shoes gained popularity as barefoot running spread in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, emphasizing flexibility and natural movement while offering protection.

Image source: Minimalist shoe