- African tribes pay homage to their Chief by kissing the ground where he has walked.
- In Russia, the highest sign of recognition was a kiss from the Tsar.
- The custom among men of wearing high-heeled shoes at the court of Louis XIV grew from the King’s desire to mask his diminutive stature.
- Pointed shoes originated in France, reportedly the invention of a Count of Anjou who wished to hide his deformed hooves.
- Henry VIII initiated the vogue for wide-tied shoes in England, presumably to hide his gout-swollen feet. Shoes soon grew to such widths that Parliament passed a law limiting the width of a shoe to six inches.
*Amusing Book of Facts 2010
