Rubber Boots
	Rubber boots have been popular, more so in the U.K. and Commonwealth Countries, since the mid 1800's. These boots come in a variety of colors and heights, but most are about knee-high and a number of them come up to the crotch and are worn as waders. The soles are also made of full rubber and have some form of tread on them for grip while walking in a stream or on wet ground. These boots are made to be waterproof.
HISTORY OF RUBBER BOOTS
	Rubber boots are styled after the very popular Wellington Boot, which was popularized by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The original Wellington Boot was styled after the Hessian Boot and was made of soft calfskin leather. In 1852, Hiram Hutchinson met Charles Goodyear who had just invented the vulcanization process for natural rubber. While Goodyear decided to manufacture tires, Hutchinson bought the patent to manufacture footwear and moved to France to establish "A l'Aigle" in 1853 ("To the Eagle," to honor his home country. The company today is simply called "AIGLE", "Eagle"). In a country where 95% of the population were working on fields with wooden clogs as it had been for generations, the introduction of the Wellington type rubber boot became an immediate success: farmers were finally able to come home with their feet dry and mud-free. Rubber "Wellington boots" (or "Wellies") are usually worn when walking on wet or muddy ground, or to protect the wearer from heavy showers. In Britain, there is a light-hearted sport, known as wellie wanging, which involves throwing Wellington boots as far as possible.
WADERS
Waders are crotch-high rubber boots that often have methods to attach them to additional clothing to hold them up. Men wear waders while enjoying fishing, particularly fly fishing which is more successful when the fisherman is standing in water.
Content from Wikipedia and Booted Harleydude. Pictures from Celso, David Neale and Mooselacer. Text from Wikipedia article on Wellington Boots and as edited and contributed to by Booted Harleydude. Text of this article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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