The History of Socks
Jillian Clary
Some facts on socks:
*Most experts believe that the first Stone Age socks were made of animal skins, which our ancestors tied around their ankles.
*The first knitted stockings were found in the tombs of Egyptians in Antinoe from around 500 AD, as well as knitted socks from around 1500 BC, were found in Jutland, which is now in Denmark
*In 1000 AD, socks called "puttees" were worn by holy people in Europe to symbolize purity.
*In the Middle Ages, the pants and sock together formed one piece of clothing. Later, the socks on the pants were changed more frequently, since they became dirty much more quickly. Eventually, socks became fully independent articles of clothing.
*Before the middle ages, the only way you could make socks is by knitting them. For a long time, socks were a privilege of the rich.
*The English Reverend, William Lee invented the first knitting loom in 1589
*Socks didn’t start out being called socks, but were called stockings.
*Queen Elizabeth I received a pair of stockings from Lee, but declined to grant a patent for his invention, horrified by the socks' crude form and afraid it would take away jobs from her people
*Socks became mass-produced during the industrial age.