Shoes with unexpected origins
0Loading crowd target
Questions and sources
Shoes with Unexpected Origins — Daily trivia Monday, October 19, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01Nike made real self-lacing sneakers based on a prop from which film?
- ABack to the Future Part II
- BSpace Jam
- CGhostbusters II
- DHoney, I Shrunk the Kids
Show answer
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II. Nike gave Michael J. Fox the first working pair, and later pairs raised money for his Parkinson's foundation.
Q 02Which sheepskin boots took off with Australian surfers and became an American company's trademark?
- AMoon Boots
- BTimberlands
- CUgg boots
- DBlundstones
Show answer
Ugg boots
Ugg boots. In Australia 'ugg' is a generic word, yet a US jury ordered an Australian maker to pay $450,000 for selling ugg boots to Americans.
Q 03Which shoe did Paul Sperry invent after watching his dog run on ice without slipping?
- AThe hiking boot
- BThe boat shoe
- CThe running shoe
- DThe loafer
Show answer
The boat shoe
The boat shoe. Sperry cut grooves like the cracks in his cocker spaniel's paws into a rubber sole, so sailors could grip wet decks.
Q 04Dorothy's shoes are silver in Baum's book. Why did the film make them ruby?
- ATo suit Judy Garland
- BTo save on silver sequins
- CTo please Baum's estate
- DTo stand out on screen
Show answer
To stand out on screen
To stand out on screen, probably. Screenwriter Noel Langley suggested red for the Technicolor film, and the sparkle comes from sequins, not rubies.
Q 05Men wore high heels long before women did. What did heels first help Persian soldiers do?
- AWalk on hot sand
- BBrace against spear charges
- CGrip rocky mountain paths
- DStay in their stirrups
Show answer
Stay in their stirrups
Stay in their stirrups, probably. In early 17th-century Europe, heels were a sign of manly status before the fashion spread to women.
Q 06Adidas threatened to sue over Bill Bowerman's running shoe called the Aztec. What name replaced it?
- ABlazer
- BDunk
- CCortez
- DAir Force 1
Show answer
Cortez
Cortez, after Hernán Cortés, whose expedition toppled the Aztec Empire. In Forrest Gump, Forrest runs across America in a pair.
Q 07Dr. Martens' classic eight-eyelet boot is called the 1460. What does that number stand for?
- AIts patent number
- BIts launch date
- CIts first price
- DIts factory address
Show answer
Its launch date
Its launch date, 1 April 1960. The boot's air-cushioned sole came from a doctor who redesigned his boots while recovering from an injury.
Q 08Brazil's Havaianas flip-flops have a footbed textured like rice grains. Which country's sandal inspired them?
- AJapan
- BChina
- CIndia
- DIndonesia
Show answer
Japan
Japan. Havaianas remade the zori, a Japanese sandal with a rice-straw sole, in rubber, yet named them after Hawaii, then a glamorous holiday spot.
Q 09Despite its Brazilian-sounding name, Adidas designed the Samba for footballers training on what?
- AIcy pitches
- BBeach sand
- CMuddy pitches
- DWet grass
Show answer
Icy pitches
Icy pitches. Its gum sole was built to grip frozen training grounds in the 1940s, and the football shoe later turned into a fashion hit.
Q 10Chuck Taylor was never a star player. Why is his name on Converse's All Star?
- AHe founded Converse
- BHe won a naming contest
- CHe was its salesman
- DHe was the founder's son
Show answer
He was its salesman
He was its salesman. Taylor spent decades running basketball clinics for Converse, and some famous teams he claimed to have played for can't be confirmed.
How to play
- One question at a time, four options. Tap an answer to lock it in.
- You see the answer and a short explanation right away.
- Harder questions and faster answers earn more points. Share your score at the end.