By Tim Lambert
People have worn socks since Ancient Times. Roman soldiers wore socks called udones, especially in cold climates. The oldest existing socks were made in Egypt in the 4th or 5th centuries AD. Early socks were made with split toes, and they were designed to be worn with sandals.
In the Middle Ages both men and women wore stockings. Stockings for poor people were made of wool or linen. Elastic was not invented until 1820; stockings were tied in place. By the 14th and 15th centuries, stockings were status symbols for the upper classes, and they were often richly decorated.
In the Middle Ages, stockings were called hose. (Although the word hosiery was not used until the 18th century). However, the lower part of the leg was called a stock, and in the 15th century, some people began to call them stockings.
In the 16th century, rich women began wearing silk stockings. The poor made do with wool or linen. In 1589, William Lee invented a knitting machine, which made stockings cheaper.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, men’s trousers became longer. Stockings for men became shorter and eventually became socks. Our word socks comes from a Latin word, soccus, meaning a slipper or low-heeled shoe. In the Middle Ages, in England, it changed to socc. It was first used for legwear in the 17th century.
Hanging out stockings to be filled with presents was first recorded in parts of England in the early 19th century. It became common in the late 19th century.
In the 19th century, the mass production of socks made them cheaper. It became common to make socks and stockings from cotton, although wool was still used. In the early 20th century, socks and stockings were often made from an artificial fibre, rayon.
Nylon was patented in 1937. At first, it was used for making toothbrushes, but in October 1939, the first nylon stockings went on sale in the USA. During the Second World War, some women painted their legs brown to look like stockings. When the war ended, there was a rush to buy nylon stockings again.
However, at that time, women only wore stockings. Pantyhose (tights) were introduced by Allen Gant in 1959. 15 May is Nylon Stocking Day.
Finally, 9 May is National Lost Sock Memorial Day.
