Pointe shoes; who came up with that idea?

Before the 19th century, Ballet was pretty much a man's profession. The ballerina, as we know her today, was nothing more than a background dancer. During the Romantic Period, the French began to incorporate women more and more into their ballets.
Marie Taglioni is often credited with the creation of the "pointe shoe." However, her toe shoes do not remotely resemble the toe shoes my girls wear today! Mlle. Taglioni basically wrapped her "slippers" in satin to help her acheive the look of a fairy floating in Les Slyophites. (This the ballet Darlin' Daughter did her solo variation from...)
The wooden "block" and ties evolved as ballet evolved with the incorporation of the pointe shoe. Historians note that piourettes and pique turns were fairly new techniques in the 1800's. As pointe shoes allowed the ballerina to do more, she in effect, was asked to do more. Ballet became more and more technical, to where the art stands today; it is the gold standard and the basis for all dance.
Today's pointe shoes, of course, are no longer made with wooden blocks or "boxes." But ask any ballerina and she will tell you~ your toes will bleed, your feet will ache, and no matter how good you maybe, you will never be 'perfect!'