Who invented the tap shoe?

Tap dance has roots in the Irish jig, Juba dance and clog dancing. The use of these shoes began in the mid-1800's during the rise of minstrel shows, but no one person is credited for the rise of tap dancing or for the creation of the tap shoe.

The tap shoe originally had a wooden sole, whereas nowadays they have leather soles. Thomas D. Rice was the first person to tap dance on stage. The influence for tap dance and the tap shoe was the sound of barefooted slaves walking or marching across wooden boats. This sound was mixed with the Irish jig. Tap dancing and the tap shoe were the result of a cultural evolution.