- The word "sock" comes from an old English word meaning "light slipper", which in turn comes from the Latin word "soccus", meaning a "light, low-heeled Shoe" worn by Roman comic actors.
- The first socks were made from leather or matted animal hair and tied around the ankles to stop them from falling off. The Ancient Greeks wore socks called "piloi", which were made from matted animal hair. The oldest socks to be found by archaeologists came from a Greek colony in Egypt from around the years 250 and 420. They were red, made from wool and had been made using a technique called nålbindning, which predated knitting and only used one needle. The Romans wrapped their Feet in leather or woven fabrics. Around the 2nd century AD, they started sewing the fabrics together to make fitted socks they called "udones".
- Around 1000 CE socks began to be worn as fashion statements rather than just functional footwear. Because good quality socks took so long to make and were therefore expensive, it was a sign of wealth to wear long, silk socks. It was around that time people began giving socks as gifts. In those days, a present of a pair of socks would be seen as most generous and would be very much welcomed.
- Until 1589, the only way to make socks was to knit them by hand, which took a long time. 1589 saw the invention of the knitting machine by an English clergyman called William Lee. His invention meant that socks could be knitted eight times faster. Some say he had a selfish reason for developing this technology - his wife used to knit for money and he wanted her to spend more time with him. However, the machine didn't take off immediately. When Lee approached the court of Queen Elizabeth I to get a patent for it, it was thrown out because the Queen didn't like wool socks - only silk ones. Lee went back to the drawing board and tweaked his invention so it could produce better socks. Now, however, it was rejected because it would put hand knitters out of business. The fact that Lee's business partner had been convicted of treason and executed probably didn't help. Lee took his invention to France where King Henry IV supported his invention, but he was assassinated in 1610, and his eight year old successor wasn't interested in knitting machines.
- As well as keeping your feet warm, another function of the sock is to absorb perspiration. A foot can produce a quarter of a pint (0.12 litres) of sweat a day and socks help absorb it.
- The Merry Wives Of Windsor is the only Shakespeare play which mentions socks.
- About a third of the socks produced in the world today, that's 8 billion pairs a year, come from Datang in the city of Zhuji in Zhejiang Province in China. The area has gained the nickname of "Sock City".
- There's a word for the designs on the side of a sock. It's called a clock.
- It was only in 2013 that Russian soldiers began wearing socks as part of their uniforms. Up until then they wore foot cloths called portyanki instead. These were arguably more comfortable inside heavy boots and would dry more quickly.
- Since 1978, a tradition has been observed among sailors, boat builders and watermen in Annapolis, USA. On the Spring Equinox, they burn their socks. It started with a guy called Bob Tuner who was so pleased to see the back of a particularly cold and snowy winter and finally be able to take his socks off, that he burned them. It continues to be a tradition among the boating community there, where today, they hold sock burning parties and drink beer while the socks smoulder.
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