Last workweek I suffered a rather mortifying hurt while rushing to the bathroom : a gravely stubbed pinky toe . After determining ( and substantiate with two beginning ) that the toe was n’t broken , I was pep up to do more research on my toe . Here are nine fact , one for each of my small piggy that is n’t wrench purpleness .

1. They can replace your fingers

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Since finger and toe are both digits , they should be interchangeable , right ? Well , in toe - to - hired man surgical process , toe can be used to interchange missing digit . The method acting was first used on human beings in 1975 and is now wide used . Not every finger can be replace , but often the big toe can be used for a miss thumb .

2. You can’t serve without one (even though you probably could)

To enlist in the army , you have to have all ten of your toe intact- their rules state that they will reject anyone for " current absence seizure of a foot or any destiny thereof . " But as it turns out , it should n’t be an issue , since a missing toedoesn’t cause much damage . In fact , physician have been able-bodied to design particular place for toe amputee that will correct minor whole step problems .

3. Anna Wintour thinks they’re sexy

4. Stalin’s were webbed

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Joseph Stalin suffer fromsyndactyly , where multiple dactyl are fuse together . In layman ’s terms , the toe ( or fingers ) are webbed . There ’s no grounds that the stipulation cause any problems , nor does it meliorate swim ability , as might be expect . Other famous sufferers of syndactyly are Dan Aykroyd and Ashton Kutcher .

5. The Egyptians knew how to replace them

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Even though a missing toe wo n’t stimulate important job , that does n’t mean they should n’t be replaced . In fact , toe prosthetics could go out back as far as 3,000 twelvemonth . Internet Explorer get hold a mamma in Egypt with a leather and wood contraption that is trust to be a prosthetic toe . The " Cairo Toe" date back to between 1069 BC and 664 BC and predates the earliest have it away prosthetic by at least 700 years .

6. You can wrestle them

If you could gird grappling and ovolo hand-to-hand struggle , does n’t it just make sentiency that you could toe grapple . Since 1993 , the English village of Wetton has play innkeeper to theWorld Toe Wrestling Championship , a contest with too many toe punning to repeat . dissenter merely lock toe in a pack , then seek to push each other out in a three - round toe - down ( get it ? ) . Despite the furor popularity of the sport , it was eliminate by the IOC when organizers applied for inclusion body in the Olympics . The fun was command in the last ten by Paul Beech , who nicknamed himself " The Toeminator . “

7. People have had as many as 13

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The Guinness Book of World Recordscurrently lists a tie for the most routine of fingers and toe at 25 . Two Indian boys , Pranamya Menaria and Devendra Harne , each have 12 finger and 13 toe thanks to polydactilism , a congenital experimental condition that results in extra digits . Polydactilism occurs in about one in every 500 nativity and can be deal . Marilyn Monroeis bruit to have been bear with an surplus toe on her left understructure , but the proof is iffy .

8. Dancing on them sure can hurt

Ballerinas are illustrious for their incredible ability to dance " en pointe,“ or on their toes . The technique command not just strength in the digits , but also support throughout the body to stay square . Not surprisingly , though , trip the light fantastic en pointe carries a great deal of risk with it . TheWikipedia articlehas a long list of potential injuries ; among them are tendonitis , dermatitis , hammer toes , tension fractures and bunions .

9. A toe injury ended Jack Lambert’s career

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During his ten - year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers , Jack Lambertestablished himself as one of the NFL ’s best line backer . The nine - clock time pro bowler was key to the knotty Steelers defense and famous for his missing front teeth . But despite his toughness , all it took to sideline his career was a toe injury . A reoccurring greensward toe hurt , where a toe is hyperextended , forced him to give-up the ghost the conference in 1984 .

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