Dear Kid,
It’s a beautiful day here in Cincinnati. And by “beautiful” I raining like crazy. So if you happen to like wet weather (and the accompanying smell of wet dogs), traffic jams (“Oh, look! A raindrop! Slam on the brakes!!!), and soggy toes (I hate when I forget my rain boots) the weather is perfect. If you prefer Something Else, perhaps not.
On the Other Hand, the Something Else frequently includes even worse weather, so I’m kind of OK with rain.
And trying to remember my rain boots.
Once upon a time, people didn’t have rain boots. This was a sad time in the world, what with the aforementioned wet toes and the accompanying foot fungus. (For the record, I have never had a foot fungus. Probably because I usually wear rain boots.)
The Duke of Wellington, who presumably liked his toes warm and dry and liked to look fashionable at the same time, had his shoemaker make a pair of fab new boots which were called Wellingtons.
Wellies were originally made of leather, but in 1852 Hiram Hutchinson had the good fortune to meet Charles Goodyear (yep, of tire fame) and bought the patent to make footwear with natural rubber. Hiram moved to France, made a bunch of waterproof boots, and became an instant hero to a country suffering from Wet Toes.
Still not sure what wellies are? Think of Paddington (the bear, not the station) and look at his feet. Wellingtons.
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