Sneaker

In 1832, inventor Walt Webster patented a process in which rubber soles could be attached to shoes, boots, and other footwear. Later, in 1860, a shoe fashioned with a rubber sole, canvas upper, and shoelace fastenings was marketed as shoe for the sport of croquet. The shoe was very virtually noiseless, and became the stealth item of choice by thieves; it allowed them to sneak around without making any noise whatsoever.

Another proposed point of origin of the term “sneaker” is from the U.S. Rubber Company. The company, which provided the rubber soles for Keds brand shoes, termed the shoe as a “sneaker” because the rubber soles made shoes less squeaky and perhaps less audibly intrusive.

Despite the supposed unfortunate origin of being part of a thief’s arsenal, the sneaker is still widely in use today and is primarily the American terminology used to describe an athletic shoe. The general structure of a sneaker is a rubber sole with an upper made of flexible material, and that basic blueprint, albeit with changes here and there, is still used today.