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Article: A history of the world in 101/2 inches
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- April 18, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The feet of two kings played a crucial role in the development
of the modern shoe. Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) was the first
person to wear high-heeled shoes; and George IV of Britain
(1762-1830) was reputedly the first to wear a pair of shoes
specially tailored for his right and left feet. Most common folk,
however, had to wait until about 1850 before they could buy right
shoes and left shoes, rather than two shoes that were equally
uncomfortable on either foot.
Other notable footprints in the history of shoes are as follows:
1790: Invention of the shoelace (until then, we had to make do
with buckles)
1891: Whitcomb L Judson invented his "Clasp Locker and Unlocker
for Shoes", the ...