The History of Shoes — What Humanity Walked In

You are wearing ten thousand years of history on your feet. This documentary follows the extraordinary story of the shoe: from sagebrush-bark sandals hidden in an Oregon cave for ten thousand years and Otzi the Iceman's hay-stuffed snow shoes, through the status sandals of Egypt, the hobnailed caliga boots that marched Rome's legions across an empire, and the absurdly long poulaines that medieval kings tried — and failed — to ban by law. Discover how the high heel began as Persian cavalry equipment before Louis XIV reserved red heels for his nobles alone, why humanity waited until the 1800s for separate left and right shoes, and how factories, the American Civil War and Goodyear's vulcanised rubber set the stage for Keds, Converse and the sneaker. Then come the sneaker wars — the Dassler brothers' feud that created Adidas and Puma, Nike's rise, and Air Jordan turning a shoe into culture — plus Wellington boots, Dr. Martens, and the boots that walked on the Moon. This is the complete history of shoes. 00:00 Welcome to History Lens 00:05 The First Shoes — Cave Sandals and Otzi the Iceman 01:09 Egypt and Greece — Sandals of Status 02:01 Rome Marches — The Caliga 02:50 Medieval Excess — The Poulaine 03:35 The Heel — From Persian Stirrups to Louis XIV 04:21 Left Meets Right 05:07 The Factory Age 05:54 Rubber Soles and Sneakers 06:39 The Sneaker Wars — Adidas, Puma, Nike and Jordan 07:25 Boots for Every Frontier — Wellingtons, Docs and the Moon 08:14 Shoes Today #history #shoes #documentary #historyofshoes Subscribe to History Lens for more fascinating documentaries about the hidden histories behind everyday things!