"Roller skates Roller skates are shoes, or bindings that fit onto shoes, that are worn to enable the wearer to roll along on wheels. The first roller skate was effectively an ice skate with wheels replacing the blade. Later the ""quad"" style of roller skate became more popular consisting of four wheels arranged in the same configuration as a typical car. While the first reported use of roller skates was on a London stage in 1743, the first patented roller skate was introduced in 1760 by Belgian inventor John Joseph Merlin. His roller skate wasn't much more than an ice"
"WHEELS Ever wonder who invented the first pair of skates? Where? When? How were the runners 100 years ago? How much resembled those that today you have you? So probably enjoy this page ... The official credit for the invention of the first pair of skates, be attributed to Joseph Merlin, a luthier who was born in Huys, Belgium on September 17, 1735. In May 1770, Merlin went to London as director of the Museum Cox in Spring Gardens, where he exhibited several of his musical instruments. Merlin also had examples of his work at his home in Oxford Street"
"John Joseph Merlin John Joseph Merlin (born Jean-Joseph Merlin, September 6, 1735 – May 8, 1803) was a clockmaker, musical-instrument maker, inventor and showman. He moved to England in 1760. By 1766 he was working with James Cox and creating automatons such as Cox's timepiece and the Silver Swan. By 1773 he was designing and making innovative keyboard instruments. In 1783 he opened Merlin's Mechanical Museum in Princes Street, Hanover Square, London, a meeting-place for the gentry and nobility. In addition to his clocks, musical instruments and automata, Merlin is credited with the invention of inline skates in the 1760s."
"Plimsoll shoe A plimsoll shoe, plimsoll, plimsole or pumps (British English; see other names below) is a type of athletic shoe with a canvas upper and rubber sole developed as beachwear in the 1830s by the Liverpool Rubber Company. Plimsolls had solid rubber soles about 8 or 9 mm thick, to which the canvas was glued without coming up the sides (as on trainers). The effect when running was similar to running without shoes. The shoe was originally, and often still is in parts of the United Kingdom, called a ""sand shoe"" and acquired the nickname ""plimsoll"" in the 1870s."
"continued this trend, but added combinations of color. Additionally, throughout all of these decades, there was no difference between the right and left shoe. In Britain in 1770, an act was introduced into the parliament which would have applied the same penalties as witchcraft to the use of high heels and other cosmetic devices. Heels went out of fashion starting around 1810, and then in 1860 they returned at about two and a half inches. The Pinet heel and the Cromwell heel were both introduced during this time. Their production was also increased with the invention and eventual mass production"
"skid was Hans Brinker, who devised i built the first round metal skid in the year 1733. These wheels were placed in a skid with metal rim created by Joseph Lunds, but was left aside by the many imperfections and that was soon forgotten. In 1760 Joseph Merlin devised metal wheel that was the precursor of the present. In London the marketed. Also in this year presented his invention in a fashion show, but as the parquet floor as the wheels crashed. After Merlin there were other people: Luis Van Lede wheels manufactured in 1790 ""skid terre"" which were a"
"have any distinguishable features. While mules have been worn since the 15th century to the present day, their popularity has not always been constant. They were typical indoor shoes for both men and women in the early 1700s. By the 1720s to the end of the century, mules were the most popular indoor slipper. Fashion plates that exist from the end of the 1790s describe women wearing mules but are not seen due to the long lengths of the contemporary petticoats. Therefore, they were popular by the end of the 1700s but not as visible. In the beginning of the"
"automated bird, was bought at the auction by Charles Babbage for 35 pounds. He had seen it as a child at Merlin's Mechanical Museum. John Joseph Merlin John Joseph Merlin (born Jean-Joseph Merlin, September 6, 1735 – May 8, 1803) was a clockmaker, musical-instrument maker, inventor and showman. He moved to England in 1760. By 1766 he was working with James Cox and creating automatons such as Cox's timepiece and the Silver Swan. By 1773 he was designing and making innovative keyboard instruments. In 1783 he opened Merlin's Mechanical Museum in Princes Street, Hanover Square, London, a meeting-place for the"
"“rain shoe” – a stylish art deco design that protects a walker's calf from splattered mud. The design was successfully patented by Butler and then purchased by the Dominion Rubber Company. Butler was also known to have expressed his affections through poetry and song. His tender ode from 1929, “You’re My One Rose,” claimed popularity but rarely involved monetary profits. He also went on to develop a number of branding assignments for various associations and businesses, including the Township of Norwich, Dawes Brewery in Quebec, and the aforementioned Jersey Canada. The First Settler at Woodstock is a brilliant example of"
"featured brown bearskin bases, deerskin side panels, and a bark-string net, which pulled tight around the foot. The Jotunheimen shoe was discovered in August 2006. Archaeologists estimate that the leather shoe was made between 1800 and 1100 BC, making it the oldest article of clothing discovered in Scandinavia. It is thought that shoes may have been used long before this, but because the materials used were highly perishable, it is difficult to find evidence of the earliest footwear. By studying the bones of the smaller toes (as opposed to the big toe), it was observed that their thickness decreased approximately"
"in the 2010s. In 1856 William Henry Perkin discovered the first synthetic dye (Mauveine – a purple colour), which was suitable as a dye of silk and other textiles, helping to revolutionise the world of fashion. Burberry is most famous for creating the trench coat: they were worn by British soldiers in the trenches in World War I. Among various British youth subcultures, Dr. Martens boots (often referred to as DMs) have been the choice of footwear: in the 1960s skinheads started to wear them, and they later became popular among scooter riders, punks, and some new wave musicians. Male"
"animals, animal paws, vehicles, cartoon characters, etc. Not all shoes with a soft fluffy interior are slippers. Any shoe with a rubber sole and laces is a normal outdoor shoe. In India, rubber chappals (flip-flops) are worn as indoor shoes. The fictional character Cinderella is said to have worn glass slippers; in modern parlance, they would probably be called glass high heels. This motif was introduced in Charles Perrault's 1697 version of the tale, ""Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre"" (""Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper""). For some years it was debated that this detail was a mistranslation and"
"Shoe buckle Shoe buckles are fashion accessories worn by men and women from the mid-17th century through the 18th century. Shoe buckles were made of a variety of materials including brass, steel, silver or silver gilt, and buckles for formal wear were set with diamonds, quartz or imitation jewels. Buckled shoes began to replace tied shoes in the mid-17th century: Samuel Pepys wrote in his ""Diary"" for 22 January 1660 ""This day I began to put on buckles to my shoes, which I have bought yesterday of Mr. Wotton."" The fashion at first remained uncommon enough though that even in"
"40,000 to 26,000 years ago. This led archaeologists to deduce that wearing shoes resulted in less bone growth, resulting in shorter, thinner toes. These earliest designs were very simple in design, often mere ""foot bags"" of leather to protect the feet from rocks, debris, and cold. They were more commonly found in colder climates. Many early natives in North America wore a similar type of footwear, known as the moccasin. These are tight-fitting, soft-soled shoes typically made out of leather or bison hides. Many moccasins were also decorated with various beads and other adornments. Moccasins were not designed to be"
"Patten (shoe) Pattens are protective overshoes that were worn in Europe from the Middle Ages until the early 20th century. Pattens were worn outdoors over a normal shoe, had a wooden or later wood and metal sole, and were held in place by leather or cloth bands. Pattens functioned to elevate the foot above the mud and dirt (including human effluent and animal dung) of the street, in a period when road and urban paving was minimal. The word ""patten"" probably derives from the Old French ""pate"" meaning hoof or paw. Women continued to wear pattens in muddy conditions until"
"one from 1780 is in Munich's Deutsches Museum. Merlin also experimented with violins and violas. Merlin moved in increasingly illustrious circles, socializing with Londoners from the gentry and nobility. Friend and musicologist Charles Burney commissioned his instruments, and even played one of them in a courtroom to defend Merlin's patent. Johann Christian Bach performed publicly on Merlin's instruments, and around 1774 Johann Christian Fischer was painted by Gainsborough standing next to one of Merlin's pianos. Thomas Gainsborough painted Merlin himself in 1781, holding a pocket beam balance which he had invented. Even though she regarded him as a foreigner, novelist"
"under a wooden base with straps to hold the foot. The runners were from a single size and as the wheels were fixed, it was impossible to move by a curved line. In 1823, in London, Robert John Tyers patented model ""Rolito"". The British patent office, ""Rolito"" was described as a ""device to be attached to the shoes, boots or other item that covers the foot in order to move out of necessity or pleasure."" This model was done with 5 wheels fixed line and was an event that soon attracted public attention. It soon emerged patented many models, each"
"Metropolitan Museum of Art, including an over-the-knee boot made of different-colored patent leather zip-on layers, stretch patent leather boots designed for Jacques Tiffeau in 1967, and the iconic denim platform boots designed by Leila Larmon and Stephen Bruce. Golo Footwear Golo Footwear established in 1915 Adolf Heilbrunn from Germany, Golo initially designed and manufactured slippers in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. The company was known for experimenting with materials not traditionally used in footwear, such as cork, stretch fabrics, Gore-Tex for rainboots, and clear lucite sandal wedges. Golo boot and shoe designs graced the covers and pages of every fashion magazine from 1950"
"especially during World War II. Though there were competing measuring devices on the market, the Brannock Device quickly became the industry standard and is still used in shoe stores all over the world. Charles F. Brannock Charles F. Brannock (May 16, 1903 – November 22, 1992) was the inventor and manufacturer of the familiar Brannock Device for measuring overall length, width, and heel-to-ball length of the foot. Brannock, proprietor of the successful Park-Brannock Shoe Store in Syracuse, New York, developed the device in 1925. The instrument was a sales aid, but by ensuring more accurate fittings, the device also helped"
"with the durability of the soles of his tennis shoes and sought a method to extend their life by repairing them. with a degree in physics from Wayne State University Although Van Vliet already held several patents related to the aerospace industry, he had no extensive background in chemistry. whereas Robert Connelly did. Nevertheless, Van Vliet set to work to create an adhesive which could be used to create a pliable surface coating for shoe soles, whipping up his experimental blends in a spaghetti pot. The ultimate result of their efforts was a polymer that was eventually marketed as ""Shoe"
"may have given the shoes the title creeper. It may also be associated with a Ken Mackintosh dance tune popular in 1953 and called ""The Creep"". This style of thick soled shoe was first developed commercially in 1949 by George Cox Limited of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, UK, and marketed under the ""Hamilton"" name, based on George Cox Jr.'s middle name. Initially they came in shades of blue, ranging from pastel shades to electric blue, and were made of suede or polished leather. Later, more extravagant patterned versions were created. The shoes were taken up by the Teddy Boys– along with drainpipe"
"Bourdonneau later introduced ""EB"" boots in 1950 after purchasing Pierre's company, which had softer rubber soles and became very popular in the 1960 and 1970s. In 1982, the Spanish company Boreal produced the ""Firé"" style of shoe with a revolutionary sticky rubber sole. Climbing shoe A climbing shoe is a specialized type of footwear designed for rock climbing. Typical climbing shoes have a close fit, little if any padding, and a smooth, sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber . Unsuited to walking and hiking, climbing shoes are typically donned at the base of a climb. Modern climbing shoes use"
"was patented in 1926 by Jesse S. Harding. As retail space became increasingly expensive it became necessary to display shoes and other clothing items in a more space efficient way. The first modern shoe hanger was filed by the Japanese Tsuneji Matsubara in 1970 and consisted of a base with an element for placing a pair of shoes adjacent to each other. Various improvements where made over the next few decades to accommodate the storage and display of different types of shoes, as seen in the wing, hook and clip designs. Shoe hanger A shoe hanger, also called a shoe"
"from famous paintings to iconic celebrity shoes. Mule's etymology comes from Ancient Rome. In Ancient Rome, the phrase """"Calcei Mullei/Mulleus"""" was used to describe the red shoes worn by Roman senators and later higher magistrates. In 16th century Europe and France, the Latin root word ""mule"" was used to refer to both backless shoes and slippers. Mules of the 16th century to the 19th century were bedroom or boudoir slippers worn inside and not out in public. Accordingly, mules were worn with dressing gowns and typically matched the loose outfits by having the same comfort. The early mules did not"
"Chausses Chausses (; ) are armour for the legs, usually made from mail. They could extend to the knee or cover the entire leg. Chausses were the standard type of metal leg armour in Europe from the 11th to the 14th century. Chausses offered flexible protection that was effective against slashing weapons. However, the wearer still felt the full force of crushing blows. One of the first depictions of mail chausses is in the Bayeux tapestry of 1066–1083, with William the Conqueror and several other Normans wearing them. The vast majority of the Norman troops used no leg armour at"
"Brothel creeper Brothel creepers (sometimes shortened to creepers) are a style of shoe which has thick crepe soles, often in combination with suede uppers. This style of footwear became fashionable in the years following World War II, seeing resurgences of popularity at various times ever since. A version of this style of shoe became popular with World War II soldiers in North Africa, who adopted suede boots with hard-wearing crepe rubber. Writing in ""The Observer"" in 1991, John Ayto put the origin of the name 'brothel creeper' to the wartime years. The Smithsonian suggests the crepe in the thick sole"
"desert climate, his feet got hot from the exertion and he had the idea to cut a couple of holes in the soles of his shoes with a Swiss Army knife. He developed the idea into a viable product with the help of a small leather-goods business his family owned. After unsuccessfully pitching his invention to several established footwear manufacturers, but after having passed the market testing phase for a line of children’s footwear, Polegato began large-scale production of shoes under the Geox brand name. That same year, he improved the original patent and extended the product range to men’s"
"the 1930s - the first rubber-soled, soft shoes specifically engineered for serious rock work. He wore these on the sandstone boulders as well as on the granite walls of the Alps, where he made several famous first ascents, including the north face of the Aiguille du Dru. These shoes, known as ""PAs"", became the model for future generations of climbing footwear. Indeed, the version available in the 1950s looked remarkably like modern climbing footwear. In the 1950s Allain opened a mountaineering store in Paris, where, among other innovative items, he offered the first modern alloy carabiners. Prior to that time,"
"with London jeweller and entrepreneur James Cox. Merlin also created a wide variety of mechanical clocks. One of the most notable was Cox's timepiece, which was powered by changes in atmospheric pressure. Another of Merlin's timepieces is the Merlin Band Clock. Merlin also developed musical instruments. A pianoforte with a six-octave span he made in 1775 preceded by fifteen years Broadwood's five-and-a-half octave grand piano. He made improvements to the harpsichord, and created a barrel-organ/harpsichord which played nineteen tunes. Merlin invented inline skates with two wheels in the 1760s. Thomas Busby's ""Concert Room and Orchestra Anecdotes"" (1805) mentions an accident"
"into his shoes' soles, inspiring a shoe perfect for boating and a company called Sperry Top-Sider. Sperry Top-Siders are still a popular brand of boat shoe today, among many others, including Sebago and Timberland. Boat shoes are worn by both women and men. Boat shoes are used by sailors, as the name suggests; however, since the 1970s they have become casual footwear in coastal areas of the Netherlands, United States, Canada, Argentina, Australia, China, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Some boat shoes today have traditional white, non-marking soles, though many others today have dark non-marking soles. They"
"Veldskoen Veldskoen (or vellie, colloquial, veldskoene plural, alternately velskoens or velskoene plural; pronounced ""FELL-skoons"") are Southern African walking shoes made from vegetable-tanned leather or soft rawhide uppers attached to a leather footbed and rubber sole without tacks or nails. The name comes from Afrikaans vel (""skin"") (later assimilated to veld (""field"")) and skoen (""shoe""). They were first made by the Dutch East India Co. in the 17th century by the first Dutch settlers in South Africa. Their design is believed to be based on the traditional Khoisan footwear observed by these settlers. The footwear was later embedded into the Afrikaans"
"athlete training on solid ground for Olympic long track speed skating events. ""Life"" magazine published a photo of American skater Eric Heiden, training for the 1980 Olympics, using such skates on a Wisconsin road. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Rollerblade, Inc., a company founded by Scott and Brennan Olson in Minneapolis, Minnesota, widely promoted inline skating through the registered trademark ""Rollerblade"". John Joseph Merlin experimented with single- to many-rowed devices worn on feet in 1760. Inline skates, skates designed to work like ice skates during periods of warm weather, were invented by Louis Legrange of France in 1849."
"in London in the sixteenth century, platform shoes, called Pattens, are thought to have been worn in Europe in the eighteenth century to avoid the muck of urban streets. Of the same practical origins are Japanese ""geta"". There may also be a connection to the buskins of Ancient Rome, which frequently had very thick soles to give added height to the wearer. Another example of a platform shoe that functioned as protection from dirt and grime is the Okobo- ""Okobo"" referring to the sound that the wooden shoe makes when walking. Dating back to 18th century Japan, the Okobo was"