HIS PAIN AND YOUR RUBBER HEELED SHOES

It will interest you to know that this young printer, Humphrey O'Sullivan, while working at a Press in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1895, had to stand all through his work hours on both wooden sole shoes - which were the in-thing then - and on a stone floor, this unfortunately caused the young printer very severe pain in his feet.

Being from a poor family he was very lucky to secure this job, as work was scarce at the time and every cent he earned was valuable for his and his family's upkeep and survival. Out of pain a rather bright idea hit O'Sullivan, forcing him to buy a rubber mat to stand on while working.

Funny enough, his fellow employees kept borrowing that rubber mat from him, because it brought so much relief and comfort to them while standing on their wooden sole shoes working. Another bright idea struck O'Sullivan, he cut out two pieces in heel-size from the rubber mat and nailed them to his shoes, this way he could be more flexible and mobile while working.

He was both pleased and astonished by the comfort of this shoes. Being a man of ideas, O'Sullivan started making full fledged rubber heels and eventually patented the idea.

It's amazing to know that in a few years his rubber heels were being shipped all over the country, and around the world, this same smart invention of the young Massachusetts printer has survived till this day and is very much in use all around the world today.