Native Americans insulate human feet from the ground.
http://theshoe-guystips.blogspot.com/
From their earliest use, simply as a protective covering for the feet, to the vast fashion industry producing them today, shoes have been essential items for humans. As with any invention from antiquity, it is uncertain when shoes were first worn, and archaeological evidence has continued to complicate the issue. The oldest shoes in existence are from around 7000 B.C.E. and were disovered in America.
“It is the same to him who wears a shoe, as if the whole Earth were covered with leather”
-Persian Proverb
The earliest shoes appear to have been constructed variously from rope, leaves, and animal skins. As these are all highly perishable materials, archaeological examples are rare, but some argue that there is other evidence pointing to shoe use from up to 40,000 years ago. Archaeologists examining ancient bones during this period, which they attribute to the feet being covered. However, this conclusion is far from proved.
http://theshoe-guystips.blogspot.com/
The original design for most shoes is similar to that of the modern sandal, and consisted of a protective sole held onto the foot by hands or straps. While our need for shoes may seem obvious, their invention was a major development in the ability of humans to travel, work, and endure harsh conditions.
Source: 1001 Inventions, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
