Timeline of Shoe History
40000 BC – First archeological evidence of protective foot coverings found in Ice Age settlements.
4000 BC –First recorded mentioning of shoes as “flexible pieces of leather” in Ancient Egypt.
3627 BC – Archeologist find physical evidence of the earliest known leather shoe near cave dwellings in Armenia.
Around 1000 AD – Shoes and sandals become commonplace across Europe.
12th and 13th century – Noble and royal families start acquiring fashion shoes.
1750 – Larger towns had shoe shops stocking product from more than one shoemaker which gave consumers more diversity in style.
1789 – The French Revolution brought an end to high-heeled footwear, and popularized more modest designs.
1790 – English invent shoelaces.
1810 – Increased demand for footwear due to Napoleonic wars, around 250,000 British soldiers needing boots.
1883 - African-American inventor Jan Ernst Matzeliger invents machine for automated production of shoes.
1888 – First high heeled shoe factory opens in United States.
1917 – First successful sneakers start being sold in the United States.