Paula Oberholtzer, age 12, of Great Falls, Mt., for her question:
WHEN WAS THE FIRST SHOE WORN?
We don't know when the first shoe was worn nor do we know who wore it. But historians tell us that the first foot covering was probably worn in cold regions and that it probably was a baglike wrapping made of animal fur.
The first known footwear used in warm surroundings consisted of sandals made of plant fibers or leather. The ancient Egyptians wore such sandals as early as 3700 B.C. and the ancient Greeks and Romans also wore sandals
Throughout history. shoes have been worn not only for protection but also for decoration and to indicate social status.
Before the European settlers first arrived, the Indians of North America made moccasins of animal skins. At that time, the Europeans were already wearing sturdy leather shoes that changed in shape and style many times down through the years.
The people in Western Europe wore shoes with long, pointed toes for several centuries until the A.D. 1500s. The fashion in women's shoes then changed to rounded toes during the 1500s, low heels by the late 1500s and high heels in the 1600s.
Until the mid 1800s despite the many changes in shoe styles, shoemaking itself involved chiefly the use of simple hand tools. Most people wore homemade shoes or bought shoes from a shoemaker who lived nearby or traveled from house to house.
Improved sewing machines were developed in the mid 1800s and shoemaking became a factory operation. These machines had special devices to stitch shoe parts that previously had required nailing or stitching by hand.
In 1882, a worker in a Massachusetts shoe factory named Jan Matzeliger, invented the shoe lasting machine. This and other new shoemaking machines led to the mass production of shoes by 1900. Mass production brought a great reduction in the price of shoes.
At a shoe factory today, workers make a pattern of each shoe style. Using the pattern, other workers cut sections that will form the upper part of the shoe. The sections of the upper are then stitched together on a machine.
Another type of machine prepares the sole.
A shoe lasting machine then molds the upper on a last, which is a wooden block shaped like a foot. On the last, the upper is fastened to the sole by gluing, stitching or some other method.
Finally, the heel and such decorations as the bow or buttons are added.
Most shoe designers today work for manufacturers of footwear. A shoe designer makes sketches of various ideas and indicates what colors and materials will be used. The manufacturer produces samples of the shoes and sales representatives show the samples to buyers from shoe stores and department stores. The buyers then order the shoes from the manufacturer.