Imelda Marcos, eat your heart out

[debgeisler]

The first shoes, it is now believed, did not come from California. No, not Imelda's first shoes. The first shoes. Ever.

See, the oldest shoes known (which may have been in the back of Imelda's closet for a while) were made in California around 9,000 years ago (talk about out of season). Oregon also has a cave full of really old shoes, and is vying for the title.

Now, the BBC is citing an article in the Journal of Archaeology that notes fossil evidence that shoes were being worn by lots of people between 40,000 and 26,000 years ago.

Why the range? Is it that they didn't know exactly when the sales were at Macy's? Well, no. They haven't actually *found* any shoes (and certainly not a moldering pile 14,000 years old), but they looked at feet. People who don't wear shoes (read: for generations, not just individuals like my acquaintance Hobbit) have longer, more useful little toes. Big toes apparently don't change substantially between shoe-wearers and non-shoe-wearers, but the other toes do.

So, if you've ever wondered why more people can't write with their toes, or pick up their socks from the floor and kick 'em into the closet with their toes, or play piano with their toes...blame shoes. I personally am sitting smugly in my kitchen with no shoes on, hoping to train my toes to play the harp.

Step #1...buy a harp...

Comments

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

As for old shoes, one of the February issues of The New Yorker had an article about a Czech shoe expert who re-created the shoes found with ta 5300-year-old man found frozen in a glacier. He said they were really comfortable and practical! Similar article at http://www.freep.com/news/nw/ancient4d_20050804.htm.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Sure you don't want to start with a ukelele?

Gaack. I'm now imagining toe bands, and full toe orchestras. Thanks. Thanks a lot.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

I can actually pick up things off the floor with my toes. And use them to pinch hard enough to hurt. Not write though. Oh, and there's a really great shoe museum in Toronto. We went when we were there several years ago and I enjoyed it a lot. Even Jordin didn't mind it too much.

Saw you had an LJ from a comment you left on smofbabe's LJ. Why doesn't anybody tell me these things. You've been friended.

MKK

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

I wonder where open-toed sandals fall on the spectrum...