"It's gotta be the shoes." -- Spike Lee talking about what makes Michael Jordan the best.

The Arab world this week is still hailing an Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush during a news conference in Baghdad Dec. 14.

Considered one of the worst insults one could make in Iraq, the man's action symbolized the public's outrage over the unpopular war.

The shoe attack, which by now has been parodied on late-night television and in thousands of other venues around the world, is the latest example of how shoes have been used throughout history and in literature and media to convey a message.

Whether functional footwear or fashion statement, a show of wealth or poverty, wing-tip or flip-flop, cowboy boot or pump, cleat or clog, shoes say it all. Even Hannibal Lecter recognized Clarice Starling's attempt to mask with a nice purse her humble beginnings by pointing out her "cheap shoes."

Shoes have been status symbols as far back as ancient Egypt. Slaves went barefoot and common citizens wore sandals made of woven papyrus. The aristocrats wore pointed sandals in red and yellow.

In some houses of worship, shoes are removed to demonstrate humility in the presence of God.

Shoes, specifically boots, are important symbols in military funerals. Boots placed on the grave or memorial of a fallen soldier, often with helmet and gun, recognizes his or her service.

The public remembers the funeral processions for President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and later for President Ronald Reagan, where a riderless horse, fully saddled and with riding boots placed backward in the stirrups, followed the flag-draped casket. The caparisoned horse is used in funeral processions to symbolize the ancient custom of sacrificing a horse at a warrior's burial; the warrior had fallen and would never ride again.

Shoes also have carried strong messages in old wedding traditions. In Anglo-Saxon ceremonies, the bride passed her shoe to her husband, who then tapped her on the head with it, symbolizing the acceptance of his new authority.

In some cultures it's considered good luck to throw shoes at the new couple (like we do with rice or birdseed). It's also considered lucky to get married in an old pair of shoes. The Swedes got married with their shoes unlaced, which was supposed to improve their chances of childbirth.

Here's a sampling of other ways shoes have made history or have taken starring roles in literature, TV and movies:

Five months after the Russians shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane deep in Russian territory in May 1960, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev appeared at the UN General Assembly.

Lorenzo Sumulong, head of the Philippine delegation to the UN, expressed surprise at the Soviet Union's concerns over Western imperialism after the Soviets had taken over Eastern Europe.

The volatile Khrushchev angrily denounced Sumulong as "a jerk, a stooge and a lackey of imperialism." He then took his shoe and banged it repeatedly on the podium, earning him the nickname "Hurricane Nikita."

When former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda, fled the Malacanang Palace in Manila in 1986, the couple left behind evidence of the billions of dollars they had plundered from the country. There were Imelda's 15 mink coats, 65 parasols, 508 floor-length gowns, 888 handbags and 71 pairs of sunglasses. But the public remembers the shoes -- all 1,060 pairs of them, including one pair fitted with batteries that sparkled in the dark.

In 2001, the former first lady opened the Marikina City Footwear Museum, now called Markina City, in Manila, which displays many of these shoes.

Talk about status symbols -- don't forget John "Frenchy" Fuqua, who nicknamed himself the "French Count" and was considered one of the flashiest dressers in the NFL in the 1970s. The former Steeler is remembered for wearing platform shoes with see-through heels that contained live goldfish.

On American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami in 2002, a woman cried out in terror. She was watching British passenger Richard Reid try to light a fuse protruding from his black high-top sneakers. The shoe was packed with so many explosives that it would have blown a hole in the fuselage if flight attendants and passengers hadn't overpowered the suspect.

The incident was the catalyst that forever changed how folks pass through airport security. Much to the dismay of Transportation Security Administration agents who must be exposed to all these smelly appendages, all of us -- from youngsters to centenarian to flight crews -- have to remove our shoes for scanning.

Without a doubt, the most famous shoes in moviedom are Dorothy's ruby slippers from the 1939 "Wizard of Oz." Four of the original sequined slippers that actress Judy Garland wore during the filming remain today.

One of these, insured for $1 million, was stolen in August 2005 while on loan at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minn., the late actress's native city. The shoes belonged to Los An- geles collector Michael Shaw. "It's the worst nightmare for me," he said at the time.

Thankfully, the public can see another pair at the newly reopened National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., which underwent a two-year, $85 million renovation. They're one of the most asked about artifacts at the museum, officials say.

And for a special auction next fall to mark the 70th anniversary of "The Wizard of Oz," designers Betsey Johnson, Jimmy Choo, Oscar de la Renta, Diane Von Furstenberg and Manolo Blahnik are creating their own versions of the famous slippers.

Speaking of Manolo Blahnik, if the public wasn't aware of this designer before 1998, it certainly was after the debut that year of "Sex and the City" on HBO. Shoes and glam took center stage, playing a pivotal role in several episodes. In "A Woman's Right to Shoes," Carrie Bradshaw's brand-new $485 Manolos were taken -- perhaps accidentally, perhaps not -- at a baby shower where guests had to remove their shoes at the front door. Party host Kyra offered to replace the shoes until she learned the price. A determined Carrie responded by registering herself at Manolo Blahnik in recognition of her just-announced marriage to herself. The only item that she registered for was a pair of the missing $485 shoes. Kyra finally replaced them.

In the 2007 "Sex and the City" movie, Big proposed to Carrie by -- what else? -- slipping a new shoe on her foot, Cinderella style.

A shoe, of course, took center stage in the Cinderella fairy tale. Traces of the story reach back to first century B.C. and involved a servant girl, a pharaoh and a sandal.

The glass slipper part didn't show up until 1697, in the version written by French author Charles Perrault. He also introduced the pumpkin and fairy godmother. The Brothers Grimm's fairy tale in the 19th century was indeed grim and involved the evil stepsisters trying to trick the prince by cutting off parts of their feet to fit into the slipper. Two pigeons alerted the prince of the deception by pecking out their eyes. Oh joy.

There were at least seven movies made on the Cinderella story before the sweet, 1950 Disney classic that most people are familiar with.

The last time one of the original Judy Garland ruby slippers went on the auction block in 2000, it fetched $660,000. Last week, a Saudi man reportedly offered $10 million for the size 10 black dress shoes that Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi threw at President Bush. The Saudi considered the shoes as a "medal of freedom."

Maybe so, but the shoe-hurling incident may land al-Zeidi behind bars for two years for insulting a foreign leader.

Recalling the lyrics to "Blue Suede Shoes," perhaps the warning should be: don't step on 'em or throw 'em.