2. Shoes Date Back 40,000 Years!<\/h2>\n
The first pair of shoes appeared on the scene approximately 40,000 years ago<\/a>. The oldest pair in existence was found buried in ancient sheep dung in a cave in Armenia. The 5,500-year-old leather moccassin is older than Stonehenge!<\/p>\n While it\u2019s true that a full quarter of the bones in the human body are found in the feet, we aren\u2019t born that way. Those adorable chunky baby feet we love so much are mostly cartilage–and don\u2019t have an arch yet! It\u2019s one of the many reasons babies can\u2019t walk when they\u2019re born. As we grow, our arch develops (around the time we turn 2), and the cartilage in our feet hardens. This process continues until we\u2019re 21 years old!<\/p>\n If anyone\u2019s ever told you that your feet smell like stinky cheese, rattle off this piece of trivia: It\u2019s totally possible to make actual cheese with bacteria from foot sweat. In fact, Ireland held a Foot Cheese Exhibition in 2013 that featured several varieties of foot cheese, as well as varieties that evolved from belly buttons and armpits. Yum! (Don\u2019t worry, the exhibition didn\u2019t feature a tasting room).<\/p>\n With almost 8,000 nerves, it\u2019s no wonder that feet win the award for \u201cMost Ticklish Body Part.\u201d But don\u2019t lament the tickles–having ticklish feet means that all those nerves are firing correctly. Feet that don\u2019t respond to a soft tickle could indicate a problem like neuropathy, or damage to the nerves and tissue of the foot.<\/p>\n Not only do your feet continue to grow throughout your lifetime (one of the most common reasons you should check your shoe size every few years as you get older!), but feet size is increasing in the United States overall. The College of Podiatry released a study in 2014 indicating that the average shoe size had gone up by two full sizes in the United States over the past 44 years. Why? It\u2019s speculated that our feet are adapting to our taller, heavier frames.<\/p>\n Toe wrestling has been a thriving sport in several counties since 1970, complete with a men\u2019s and women\u2019s division and a Toe Wrestling World Championship. In this sport, opponents attempt to pin and hold down their opponent\u2019s bare toes for three seconds. Best two out of three rounds, wins!<\/p>\n When it comes to flirtation, feet can reveal our feelings–well, for women anyway! UK researchers showed that a woman who is feeling flirtatious will position their feet out and away from her body. If she\u2019s not feeling the chemistry, she\u2019ll cross her legs or tuck her feet beneath her. Mysteriously, the same phenomenon wasn\u2019t observed in men.<\/p>\n In the absence of arms or hands, many individuals have learned to do some pretty amazing things with their feet. In 2008, Jessica Cox became the first pilot to fly a plane using only her feet. Others have successfully mastered driving motorcycles, shooting a bulls-eye in archery, painting masterpieces, writing beautiful calligraphy, and playing golf.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a reason sweat is associated with feet. You have a whopping 250,000 sweat glands in your feet. And just how much sweat can those proliferous sweat glands produce each day? Up to half a pint. How\u2019s that for incentive to change your socks?<\/p>\n Who holds the Guinness World Record for largest and smallest feet? Brahim Takioullah from Morocco<\/a> comes in first place for the largest feet. At 1 foot 3 inches long, his feet require a European size 58–which can be pretty spendy, and impossible to find in a retail store. One cobbler quoted him more than $5,000 for a custom pair of shoes. As for the smallest non-bound feet, the award goes to 19-year-old Jyoti Amge from Nagpar, India. Her tiny feet are just 3.72 inches long!<\/p>\n During a typical day, your feet bear the collective load of hundreds of thousands of pounds. On average, your feet absorb a total force of 26,000 pounds. That\u2019s two African elephants. Add a 2.5-inch heel to the equation? You increase your load by 75%. In other words, 45,500 pounds. Think twice before spending significant time in heels, and properly support your feet throughout the day!<\/p>\n3.\u00a0Bones in the Feet Continue to Mature\u00a0Until We’re 21<\/h2>\n
4. Foot Cheese Is an Actual Thing<\/h2>\n
5.\u00a0Ticklish Feet Are a Good Sign<\/h2>\n
6.\u00a0Our Feet Are Growing Over Time<\/h2>\n
7. Toe Wrestling is a Competitive Sport<\/h2>\n
![\"Toe](\"https:\/\/heelthatpain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Foot-Wrestling-1024x630.png\")
\n8. We Flirt With Our Feet<\/h2>\n
9. Feet Can Do Pretty Incredible Things<\/h2>\n
10. Feet Have 250,000 Sweat Glands<\/h2>\n
11.\u00a0The Largest Feet In The World are 1 Foot 3 Inches Long<\/h2>\n
12. Your Feet Absorb Tens of Thousands of Pounds a Day<\/h2>\n
![\"Women](\"https:\/\/heelthatpain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Women-Foot-Problems-1024x682.jpg\")
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