Michael Jackson owned the patent for special antigravity shoes used in his "Smooth Criminal" performance. The shoes locked into the stage floor, allowing him to pull off the iconic gravity-defying lean. | PJ.Incredible

Did Michael Jackson defy gravity, or was it due to the shoes? Archives Specialist Netisha Currie shares the shoe patent invented by Michael Jackson to create an anti-gravity illusion. The shoes enabled Jackson to execute one of his signature dance moves, allowing him to lean forward to an exaggerated angle while performing the song "Smooth Criminal" on stage. The patent is digitized and available in the National Archives Catalog. 📸: Drawings illustrating the method and means for creating the an