Did you know that the high heel was originally invented for function and not style. The streets of medieval England were the dumping ground for everything from dirty water to trash. Horses and other animals walked the streets and their droppings where left where they fell. The horror of what you could get on your expensive shoes and clothing became the motivator for the first high heel. This shoe was used as an “overshoe.” Instead of being worn all of the time, the wearer would slide it over the everyday shoe to elevate the wearer above the sewage on the streets. When the wearer got to their destination, they would remove the overshoe and wear their clean shoes into the building.

Do you know the strange history of Play-Doh? It wasn’t always the fun toy it is now. In its first life, Play-Doh was a product used to clean wallpaper. In the 1930’s, most houses were still being heated by coal. This left residue on the surrounding wallpaper. This residue was almost impossible to clean with soaps available at the time. The answer was a clay-like putty made from salt, flour, water and other toxic ingredients. During the next 20 years, this product was a huge success. However, the 1950’s saw an increase in the use of gas. Without coal stoves, there was no need to clean the wallpaper. Without the sale of this product, the company was slowly going bankrupt. It wasn’t until the inventors sister told him that she gave the cleaning putty to the children in her nursery school to play with, that the idea of Play-Doh emerged. After replacing the toxic substances with coloring and almond scent, this wall cleaner was re-branded and became the product kids have played with for 65 years.

Interested in learning the history of more everyday items, look no further.