Moving sidewalks. They are there to give you a little break during hectic travel moments. You can stand on them to catch your breath as they whisk you toward your gate. Or they can give you the sudden power to speed walk like a champ.

You can thank Dallas for this awesome invention. Because we did it first.

Dallas Love Field was the first airport in the world to install them as part of the new terminal in 1957. The moving walkways, according to an April 1957 Dallas Morning News article, were a part of a design that prioritized "the convenience and comfort of the passenger" rather than the "convenience of the airlines."

After the new terminal opened in January 1958, the Dallas mayor even accepted a plaque that said the sidewalks were "a pioneer achievement" and "marked the first use anywhere of the conveyor belt to move people safely and efficiently through an air terminal."

But as with any new invention, it was not always smooth sailing. According to The Morning News archives, a lot of injuries and lawsuits occurred while the public learned to ride these horizontal escalators.

The sidewalks also claimed a lot of shoes. In a July 1958 article a Miss Anne Welland was interviewed about an unfortunate heel-related incident.

"Last Sunday ... both my heels got caught as I stepped off the moving sidewalks," she wrote in a letter to City Secretary Harold G. Shank. "I would appreciate your prompt attention."

She enclosed a $3.50 shoe repair receipt.

So the next time you are on a moving sidewalk, give a quick shout-out to Dallas. Dallasites, no matter what city's airport you are in, use that moment to brag to all your travel companions that your city did it first. And as always, please mind your shoes.