Most of us think of history as being locked away behind glass in museums. However, along a stretch of sand near Formby, England, about 11 miles north of Liverpool, you can watch history literally wash up at your feet.
Layers of ancient mud along Formby Beach have been slowly peeled back by coastal erosion, revealing thousands of footprints left by humans and animals almost 9,000 years ago. They are not faint impressions that you have to squint to read. In some cases, the mud has preserved the arch, the heel, and the space between each toe with startling clarity.
