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Shoes

The physics behind shoe squeaks is surprisingly complex. 

Why Do Basketball Players’ Shoes Squeak on the Court? Here’s the Physics Behind the Iconic, High-Pitched Sounds

The screeches come from wave-like deformations of sneakers’ flexible soles

Volunteers have discovered more than 400 shoes while cleaning up rock pools.

Cool Finds

Hundreds of Mysterious Victorian-Era Shoes Are Washing Up on a Beach in Wales. Nobody Knows Where They Came From

The leading theory is that the black leather boots, which were discovered by volunteers, were traveling on a cargo ship that sank nearby roughly 150 years ago

Charles Oldrieve dreamed of one day walking across the English Channel—and perhaps even the Atlantic Ocean.

Untold Stories of American History

In 1907, This Daring Performer Walked on Water From Cincinnati to New Orleans, Covering Nearly 1,600 Miles in 40 Days

Charles Oldrieve used custom-made wooden shoes to float on the water’s surface and propel himself forward

The flip-flop mosaic decorated the floor of a cold pool room in the villa's bath complex.

Archaeologists Are Investigating an Ancient Mosaic Depicting Sandals That Look Strangely Like Modern Flip-Flops

The colorful artwork decorates the frigidarium of the Villa Romana del Casale, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Sicily

Roughly a quarter of all the shoes found at Magna are longer than 11.8 inches.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Keep Finding Massive Shoes at an Ancient Roman Fort—and They Have No Idea Why They’re So Big

Discovered near Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, the oversized leather footwear has left researchers puzzled

In recent years, Barbie dolls have become more likely to have flat feet, new research finds.

Barbie’s Feet Have Become Less Arched Over Time, According to a New Study by Podiatrists

By the 2020s, only 40 percent of Barbie dolls were designed with permanently arched feet for wearing high heels

Birkenstock's popular Madrid style

Birkenstocks Are Not Works of Art, According to a German Court

The ruling comes after years of legal battles surrounding cheaper knock-offs, which the company argues are a violation of copyright law

Ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz on view at Heritage Auctions London

Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers From ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Sell for a Record-Breaking $28 Million

The iconic shoes, which went missing for more than a decade, are now the most valuable piece of movie memorabilia ever auctioned

The slippers were on loan at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, when they were stolen in 2005.

The Judy Garland Museum Wants to Buy Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers

Officials hope to raise millions to bid on the shoes, which were missing for over a decade, at auction in December

The skate was discovered in Přerov, a city in the Czech Republic's eastern Olomouc region through which the Bečva river flows.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth 1,000-Year-Old Ice Skate Made of Animal Bone in Czech Republic

The artifact dates to a time when skates were used primarily for practical purposes

Collector Michael Shaw was presented with the slippers he purchased in 1970 in a ceremony at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Two Decades After They Were Stolen, Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers Returned to the Scene of the Crime. Will They Stay There?

Federal investigators have handed over the shoes to their rightful owner, who plans to sell them at auction later this year

The recovered pair of ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz

Thief Who Stole Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers Avoids Prison

Terry Martin has been sentenced to one year of supervised release for swiping the iconic “Wizard of Oz” shoes from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005

Many of the graves found at this ancient Roman burial ground were protected by tile or terra-cotta coverings.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Roman Cemetery Full of Jewelry, Coins and Clothing

Discovered north of Rome, the burial ground lies near what was once an upper-class villa

The shoe still has a piece of flax or linen attached, which may have once served as a shoelace.

Cool Finds

2,000-Year-Old Child’s Shoe Found in Austrian Mine

The leather shoe in “outstanding” condition is comparable to a U.S. children’s size 12

A Minnesota man has been indicted in connection with the 2005 theft of a pair of Judy Garland's ruby slippers, seen here when they were recovered in 2018, along with the single red sequin that was left at the scene of the crime.

Someone Stole Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers in 2005. Now, a Minnesota Man Has Been Charged

While the “Wizard of Oz” shoes were recovered several years ago, authorities hadn’t previously named any suspects

“The Great Divide” explores how ideas that came to the fore during the Enlightenment at once blurred social hierarchies and reinforced them, particularly along lines of gender and race. 

These 18th-Century Shoes Underscore the Contradictions of the Age of Enlightenment

An exhibition at Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum examines fashion’s role in supporting social hierarchies that emerged during the landmark intellectual movement

The leather sandal's owner likely wore it with wool wrappings or socks made out of fabric or animal skins.

Cool Finds

Melting Ice in Norway Reveals 1,700-Year-Old Sandal

An ancient traveler likely discarded the worn-out leather shoe as rubbish around 300 C.E.

Tinker Hatfield’s game-changing design for the Air Jordan XIII in pen and crayon, dated 1996.

What Made the Air Jordan a Slam-Dunk Design

The world is bonkers for sneakers. This pivotal 1996 concept for basketball superstar Michael Jordan is a big reason why

For the study, researchers analyzed three shoes found in the Renaissance artist's house.

How Tall Was Michelangelo? Surprisingly Short, Study Suggests

New analysis of the artist’s (probable) shoes indicates that he stood 5 feet 2 inches tall

This 15th-century illuminated manuscript depicts a courtly gathering attended by a host of young men wearing the pointed shoes fashionable at the time.

Art Meets Science

This Fancy Footwear Craze Created a ‘Plague of Bunions’ in Medieval England

Elite Europeans who wore pointed shoes toed the line between fashion and fall risk, a new study suggests

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