Go Barefoot Day
About Go Barefoot Day
When is Go Barefoot Day? This holiday is always celebrated on June 1
Today is Go Barefoot Day, a June 1 holiday. By the title of this holiday, you might think it’s all about shedding your footwear and going barefoot in the park or at the beach. After all, Memorial Day is in the rearview window, which means unofficially summer has begun. However, this holiday is much more than that. It’s a charitable event to promote an important cause. According to Soles4SHoes, the creator of this holiday, the objective of this day is to collect and donate shoes and other footwear to those in need who go barefoot every day because they have no shoes. Sometimes called National Go Barefoot Day, you can do your part and have fun on this day, too.
Going barefoot today shows your support for the plight of those less fortunate. An estimated 300 million children go barefoot every day. They have no shoes or footwear. So clearly the need is great. What are you going to do about this problem?
Barefoot Trivia
As you put your bare toes into the soft grass or warm sand, think about this barefoot trivia:
- The first shoe was made over 3,500 years ago. Over 300 million children are too poor to have shoes and go barefoot.
- The average American woman has 27 pairs of shoes.
- The average American man has 12 pairs of shoes.
- There is no federal law prohibiting you from going barefoot in public places and buildings. However, some states do have these laws.
- A foot has 26 bones, one-quarter of all the bones in our body.
- One foot can produce a pint of sweat in a single day.
- The largest pair of shoes ever made was 17 feet long and 8 feet wide. We suspect it was for the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk.
- American Robert Wadlow (1918 – 1940) holds the world record for the largest feet ever. He wore a size 37AA shoe. His feet measured at 18.5 inches. Wadlow was 8 foot 11 inches tall.
- The Guinness World record is held by Jeison Orlando Rodríguez Hernández of Venezuela. His feet measure 1.33 feet long. He wears a U.S. size 26 shoe.
- Babies do not have arches in their feet. It takes a time for the arches to form.
- The Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in the body.
- 1 in 1,000 babies are born with an extra finger or toe.
- For many of us, our feet are the most ticklish part of our body.
- The average person walks 110,000 miles in their lifetime.
How to Participate in National Go Barefoot Day
It is important to participate in the objective of National Go Barefoot Day. Millions of children and adults are depending on you. Here’s how you can help:
- Donate practical footwear. Stilettos won’t do. Give flat-soled shoes, sneakers, boots, and sandals.
- Organize a shoe drive.
- Solicit gently used footwear at your church or other organization.
- Make a cash donation to an organization supporting the needy.
In addition to helping others, here are a few ideas on how to celebrate this holiday:
- By all means, go barefoot today. It is a sign of support for those in need of shoes.
- Get a pedicure. Then, show off your piggy toes!
- Enjoy a bottle of Barefoot wine. It’s from a winery in Modesto, Ca.
- Go to the beach. Bury your feet in the sand.
- If you don’t want to go completely barefoot, put on sandals or flip flops. Just don’t wear socks with them. That is very uncool.
Today's Chuckle
“You know you’re old when someone compliments you on your alligator shoes, and you’re barefoot.” – Phyllis Diller
History and Origin of Go Barefoot Day
Soles4Souls created this holiday in 2004. It was in response to an urgent need. At the time, a recent earthquake and resulting tsunami in the Indian Ocean devastated the region. It killed over 227,0000 people in 14 countries. Over 1 million people were displaced. This organization stepped up to collect shoes and clothing for people who we left without anything. It is now an ongoing, worldwide project. While the focus for this need is on children, the organization aids people of all ages who otherwise walk around barefoot.
This holiday was originally called “Go Barefoot Day”. Many internet websites are now calling it “National Go Barefoot Day”. This is clearly incorrect. It is not national day. If anything, this holiday should be titled a “World” or an “International” for obvious reasons. First, children all over the world go barefoot every day and are in need of shoes. Second, people all over the world donate shoes to this effort. So, please do not refer to this holiday as National Go Barefoot Day.
Also, there are no congressional records to confirm that this is truly a national day. Nor did we find a presidential proclamation.
Definition of “National” Days – and why it is important to distinguish true National days.
This Day in History
This Day in History
In addition to Go Barefoot Day, here are some of the things that happened on this day:
- The term “Don’t give up the ship!” is coined by Captain James Lawrence, U.S. Chesapeake. (1813)
- Superman Comic is published. (1938)
- Iconic Actress Marilyn Monroe was born on this day in 1808.
More June 1 Holidays
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Did You Know? There are literally thousands of daily holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. and many of these holidays are new. People and organizations are creating new holidays regularly. June holidays are no exception. Consequently, at Holiday Insights, we take great efforts to thoroughly research and document the details of each one, as completely and accurately as possible.