A strange name for rubber shoes from the Soviet Union: you will be surprised to know its origin

We remember from our school geography lesson that shales are a group of minerals. Layered substances with this name are found in mountain ranges. They are used in construction and finishing works, and oil shale is used as fuel.

But here’s the thing: none of the shales known to science resemble rubber slippers! And hardly anyone would think about making shoes from stone or a piece of resin. So what’s the problem ? Why did this name come to us from Soviet times?

Here is the answer. In the Leningrad region, since 1949, there has been a small town of Slantsy, located near a large deposit of relevant minerals. By the way, it was in Slantsy that the famous Russian singer Yulia Mikhalchik was born, and long before her birth, the Polymer factory began to operate there. It was he who made the rubber slippers that became popular in the USSR. The manufacturer has indicated its place of origin – Shales – on the sole. Consumers across the country believed that this was the name for practical slippers and, of course, there was no way to dissuade them.

As a result, all rubber shoes, and not only those produced by Polymer, began to be called slates. Now you know the answer to this mystery!

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