1 May: Wellington Boots

Today is the birthday of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, who popularised wellington boots. 10 things you didn't know about wellies.

1. It was during the Napoleonic wars that the Duke of Wellington decided he wanted more practical boots for his cavalry to wear. He used to wear Hessian boots, named after the German soldiers who wore them, and thought that with some modifications, these boots would be ideal. He asked his shoemaker, Hoby of St James Street in London to modify them into a simpler leather boot.
2. Now, of course, they're made of rubber and we have Charles Goodyear and his associate Hiram Hutchinson to thank for that. After inventing the vulcanisation process which made rubber more durable, Goodyear told Hutchinson about his idea. When Hutchinson emigrated to France, he spotted a gap in the footwear market as all the agricultural workers wore wooden clogs. The farmers loved the new rubber boots. They were later adopted by British troops, as they helped prevent trench foot during wartime.
3. They're popular among the aristocracy and country gentry who are known for wearing Green ones. The royal family are often pictured wearing them when relaxing in the country. Other famous wellie wearers include Paddington Bear and William, the title character in the 1990's children's series William's Wish Wellingtons, in which a pair of wellies has the power to grant wishes. They're also worn by the crews of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race before and after the race. Oxford wears Blue ones, Cambridge wears green ones.
4. Throwing a wellington boot as far as possible, or welly wanging, is an actual sport with a world championship which takes place in Upperthong Village. Welly wanging was invented by British troops during the first world war who'd wang their wellies when they got bored waiting for the fighting to start.
5. African miners do a “welly boot dance” to keep their spirits up while working.
6. There's even a song about wellies. The Welly Boot Song was recorded by Scottish Comedian Billy Connolly in 1974.
7. Size 19 feet? It would take a gallon of custard to fill one of your wellies.
8. Hunter Boot Ltd are arguable the best known producer of wellington boots. In 2008 the company made special gold wellies which they sent to every member of the British Olympic team who won a gold medal at the Beijing games. They've also designed welly-like boots called Hubble boots, especially for Cows.
9. The largest sized Hunters wellington boot was a size 18, commissioned for a vet in Derbyshire. The largest welly ever made was built in Queensland Australia and was 8 metres high.
10. The world record for the largest number of people taking part in a race wearing wellington boots is 3,194. The race took place in Killarney, Ireland in May 2014.

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