The Design On The Ankle Of A Sock Has A Name. What Is It?

National Sock Day on December 4 recognizes the rarest of all lasting unities, the marriage of matched socks. When they manage to find each other, wash after wash, dry after dry, it’s time to celebrate!

• Cavemen – Experts believe that the first socks were worn by cavemen, who wrapped animal skins around their feet and tied them at the ankle
• 8th Century BC – It is believed that socks date back almost 3000 years when they were used by Greeks and made from matted animal hair.
• 300-500 AD – Dating back to this time, a pair of socks from Oxyrhynchus on the Nile in Egypt has split toes so it can be worn with sandals.
• 1001 AD – Proper woven socks become symbols of wealth and nobility.
• 10th Century – By about the 10th century, socks had transformed from purely functional footwear to a fashion symbol. This was primarily because making comfortable, fashionable socks was a time-consuming process only affordable to the rich.
• 1589 – Knitting machines begin to produce socks at a much more rapid pace than handweavers.
• 17th Century – Previously called “stockings” in English, the new name “socks” begins to come into play.
• 19th Century – The oldest known pair of socks is 1,600 years old and was excavated at the end of the 19^th century from the burial grounds of ancient Oxyrhynchus, a Greek colony on the Nile in central Egypt. The socks are made from red wool and have split toes for wearing with sandals.
• 2008 – Getting its start in Sweden, Happy Socks is founded by two friends (one a graphic designer) and has since become a worldwide phenomenon
• 2011 – A survey found that 82% of young men wear odd socks at least once a week.
• 2016 – Founded in 2016, National Sock Day was established by a clothing company called Pair of Thieves.
• Like many words in the English Language, the modern word “sock” has evolved over time, having come from the Old English word “socc”, meaning ‘light slipper’. Socc comes from the Latin word “soccus” used to describe a ‘light, low-heeled shoe’. The word sock is likely also derived from the Ancient Greek “sykkos”, which referred to a thin shoe worn with sandals.
• America’s leading sock manufacturer the Tupelo Sock Inc bit the dust after an ill-fated plan to sell socks in threes to give buyers an extra sock in case one got lost. Puzzled buyers just left them on the shelf causing one of the greatest sock business calamities of our modern age.
• The Sock Capital of The World! The Datang district in eastern China is the top producer of socks in the world, producing roughly 40% of the world’s socks each year. This has caused it to become known as “Sock City”, as it is estimated that in one year they make enough socks to supply two pairs for every person in the world.
• A family of 4 will lose up to 60 pairs of socks every year.
• People who wear mismatched socks are more likely to be married.  It’s more common for married people to dress in the dark, in an attempt to avoid waking their spouses.
• Missing socks are most likely to affect the male members of the household.
• Black socks are most likely to go missing.
• The act of putting on a fresh pair of socks is mentioned around 10,000 times a day on Twitter.
• Traditional etiquette guides say that the sock color should match the color of the shoes and/or trousers, but the shade should be a little darker than trousers and lighter than the shoes.
• Albert Einstein Hated Socks: Albert Einstein was known for being eccentric. One such eccentricity was the fact that he despised socks and never wore them after giving them up at a young age. He claimed that not only did he not see the point of wearing both shoes and socks, but he said it annoyed him that his socks would form holes because of his big toes.
• There movies movies feature funny sock scenes:
  • The Wizard of Oz (1939). Although the actual attention is paid to the ruby red slippers that are worn by the Wicked Witch, the black and white striped socks that she is wearing with them are certainly worth noting.
  • Clueless (1995). Alicia Silverstone’s character in this movie wears all kinds of different knee socks and even some over the knee socks with her adorable short skirts. Add a plaid jacket or a beret and it’s the perfect combination.
  • Whip It (2009). It’s hard to find a sport that has better socks than roller derby! Including big names like Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Elliot Page and Alia Shawkat, this film features tons of cool knee socks.
  • Risky Business (1983). While this particular pair of socks is not that remarkable, when the movie was shot in the early 80s, Tom Cruise was just making his debut. And perhaps the fact that he was also in his tighty-whitie underwear is why the socks get a little bit forgotten.
• Compression socks apply pressure to the lower legs to help with blood flow and circulation.
• Some experts think that cushioned, supportive running socks are just as important as a good running shoe
• The names of sock parts will not knock your socks off, but the different parts of the sock include:
  • Cuff – the top part of the sock
  • Rib – the tube structure that is between the cuff and the ankle
  • Angle – the bottom of the rib
  • Heel – shaped to snuggly form to the heel
  • Foot – the fabric between the ankle and the toe
  • Toe – the tip of the sock encasing the toes
• The design found on the ankle of your sock is called a ‘clock’.
• A sock hop was a kind of dance event usually hosted in school gymnasiums or cafeterias. Dancers were often required to remove their shoes to protect the floor and dance in their socks.
• Pull your socks up – to improve your work, behavior, performance, attitude
• Sock it to them or me – to use your full force, effort, or have a powerful impact on someone
• Put a sock in it – to stop being noisy, talking, arguing
• Knock (your, his, her, their) socks off – impress someone with a performance, gift, idea, skill

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Sock Scene

Sock Scene

Corgi Socks

Say it with a Sock

Sock Shop

Days of the Year

National Today