The earliest known shoes are sandals made from sagebrush bark and date back to 7000 or 8000 BCE. This morsel of shoe history was found in a cave in Oregon in 1938 and remains the oldest known footwear specimen.

Who invented the very first shoe?

In Mesopotamia, circa 1600 to 1200 BC, mountain people living on the border of Iran wore a type of soft shoes made of wraparound leather that was similar to a moccasin. Egyptians began making shoes from woven reeds as early as 1550 BC.

When were left and right shoes invented?

Ever hear the term “two left feet”? It wasn't until 1818, that the right shoe was invented. Until that time, there was no distinction between shoes made for left or right feet. The first pair of right and left footed shoes were made in Philadelphia.