Stiletto heel Andre Perugia, who began designing shoes in 1906. It seems unlikely that he invented the stiletto, but he is probably the first firmly-documented designer of the high, slim heel. The word stiletto applied to a heel is derived from a knife or dagger stiletto, which is a long, thin blade, to which the heel of the shoe is similar in profile. Its usage in footwear first appeared in print in the "New Statesman" magazine in 1959: "She came ...forward, her walk made lopsided by the absence of one heel of the stilettos". High-heel shoes were worn by men and women
United States Marine Raider stiletto the tie-down thong. This gave more room on their web belt and made both the pistol and stiletto available to the right hand. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion was issued the U.S. Marine Raider stiletto. Their U.S.-made stiletto was identical to the Raiders except it had a parkerized blade and the hilt without the U.S.M.C. scroll and without the maker's name etched on the blade. It is believed that, as part of the original production run, perhaps about 500 parkerized units were manufactured. Roy C. Rushton, who served as a sniper with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, reported about the