Whimsy: September 2008 Archives

Brannock Device Measures Feet For Shoes: American Ingenuity Marches On... - Retro Thing

The shoe-store foot-measuring thing has a name, an inventor, and a noble history: "Charles Brannock invented the foot measuring device around 1925 (he built the prototype with an erector set) as an answer to the other unreliable gadgets of the day. His shoe store became known for offering the best fitting shoes, and demand for his device grew." Brannock Devices need replacing about every 15 years (when the numbers wear off). The device led to the standardization of shoe sizes. (Via Ephemeral Isle.)