On Boots

You know that feeling, when you buy a new pair of boots? It feels as if you've done something important, something magnificent. While your feet explore the soil structure and the heel slope, serenity of a triumphant army colonel fulfills your heart. And maybe that's why boots are so hot – no matter how feminine or ornate they were, they're always somehow martial and macho.

High or short, made of leather, suede, rubber or knitted – boots are sexy, dynamic and reliable. Being the oldest footwear on Earth, they have a long and amazing history. This time, we bring you just a few interesting facts.

First indirect evidence for footwear in history was found in a Spanish Upper Paleolithic cave. Dating between 14.000 and 17.000 years BC, painting shows a man clad in skin boots and a woman clad in furry boots. Although there are no remains from this period left, we can still suppose how they looked like, from the boots of well preserved Otzi the Iceman, discovered in an Alpine glacier. Dating from 3300 BC, Otzi's boots are made from leather – uppers from deerskin and soles from bearskin. Construction and design enabled him to travel long distances, preserving his feet from severe conditions.

In previous centuries, if you wanted to ensure safe sailing, it was absolutely necessary to toss old boots in the wake of departing ship. In modern times, this tradition is carried out by tying shoes to the car bumpers after a wedding. It is believed that by this action you assure a happy home life and keep husband from wandering. Furthermore, all the roads a family takes will lead back home.

The original Dr. Martens boots were designed for working class as reliable working footwear. It was created by the German inventors Dr. Martens and Dr. Funck, who invented air-cushioned sole. The boots were released in Britain in 1960, and became popular ten years after, among Britain's counterculture and punk music movement.

The boots Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon are still there, along with nine other pairs. Apollo crew had to jettison their boots to compensate for the additional weight of moon rocks they brought to Earth. Thirty five years on the Moon probably have taken a toll. Metal buckles and snaps should be fine – there's no oxidation and rust on the Moon. But the silicone soles and synthetic fabrics are already off-gassed and degraded and would turn to powder if touched.