© 2026 WGLT
A public service of Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Shoe Museum

Jacki visits the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada, a specialized museum containing 10,000 shoes from throughout history. Included in the exhibit is a 5,000 year old wood-shaped Egyptian shoe, and the shoes worn by former First Lady Pat Nixon to the 1973 inaugural ball. The museum's founder, Sonja Bata has spent the past 40 years collecting the majority of the shoes. She says on the surface footwear is an indication of personal taste and style but viewed chronologically shoes can hold the key to human identity.

Copyright 1996 NPR