When was the first skateboard invented

A Brief History of Skateboarding. Take an intimate look at some of the notable events that took place in the history of skateboarding. From the s to present day , skateboarding has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry impacting millions of lives across the world as an artform and a sport.

In its history, skateboarding has inaugurated its own museums, awarded its own hall of fame and curated a self-documented history cementing a special place in the heart of freedom culture. In these decades, skateboarding transcended through ups and downs of economic prosperity and mainstream popularity as different faces and figures shined in the spotlight or dominated the back alleys of urban performance.

While we do our best to answer this question again here, we take our first push into a larger world. A world defined by the ultimate expression of freedom, movement, and an intimate look at the history of skateboarding. All Downhill From Here. The origin of the skateboard is as ambiguous as the origin of our Universe. There are multiple reports from self-proclaimed skate-historians of who, what and where the first skateboards appeared.

It is largely agreed upon that skateboards originated in the United States, first as crates of wood with roller derby skates attached to the underfoot. The earliest models had handlebars attached, like modern scooters but eventually the boxes were replaced by wooden planks and the handlebars scrapped for an experience more akin to surfing. Before commercial skateboards began appearing in , the only way you could skate was by making your own board.

These home-made skateboards would seed the DIY mentality ingrained in skateboarding today. In a raw and beautiful way, skateboarding began not from an industry but from the intense desire for one's own self expression. To understand this simple yet profound truth is our first glimpse into "what is skateboarding" and ultimately, what it means to be a skateboarder.

It would be even more difficult to imagine how much skateboarding would change since its conception. By , Makaha formed the first professional skateboarding team competing in the first ever skateboard competition later that year in Hermosa, California. While the remnants of early s downhill skateboarding competitions take the form of death defying San Francisco hill-bombs, the freestyle competition formats and most tricks performed at the Hermosa competition are now but a distant memory to contemporary skateboarding.

Even with its novelty in American sports, skateboarding popularity ultimately crashed by People were more likely to go to a roller derby competition than a skateboarding competition. Over the past 60 years Skateboarding went through a kind of evolution. The main points of the story we clarified for you in our skateboarding history:.

The s The s The s The s From the s. The s By the early s, surfing can be traced as the source of skateboarding. Some surfers had the idea to transfer the feeling of riding waves onto the streets to defy times of days with a gentle swell. At two spots in the world a kind of a skateboard was developed at the first time in the early s: California and Hawaii.

They used shorter surfboards and wheels made out of metal without some bearings. In the late s, skateboarding had a first peak. During the post-war period, the U. During that time, the toy industry became aware of the board with wheels. In , Roller Derby released the first official skateboard with some new technical developments. Thereby, the handling characteristics have been improved. For this reason, skateboarders were able to develop new tricks and maneuvers.

The s Between the years and , skateboarding became more and more popular in the United States. Particularly affected were the states on the east and west coasts. These boards featured a typical surfboard shape and roller skate trucks and were sold as complete boards.

In the same year, the company Patterson Forbes developed the first industrially produced complete boards with more developed trucks. Also the clothing industry specialized more and more on skateboarding. One of the most famous skateboarding shoe brand named Vans was established in From this day on, Vans supported skateboarders from all over the world.

Especially shoe companies like Vans , Etnies , Converse and DC Shoes developed and manufactured skateboarding related footwear and streetwear. Another landmark event in was the first skate contest in Hermosa Beach, California. Skateboarding was not just cruising anymore. Skateboarders showed their skills in different disciplines like slalom or freestyle and companies started to assemble a team to sponsor the riders.

A next big step was the further development of the shape of the boards. The s The only consistent thing is change and so it came to a point where everything changed for skateboarding. Nasworthy started the company Cadillac Wheels and with the new material it was possible to ride smoother, faster and more comfortable. It includes skaters of many skin colors and nationalities, and there are many more girls skating today.

Terry Kennedy, an African American who goes by the name T. Kennedy grew up in Compton; a neighborhood in California with a lot of violence and gang activity. But his hard work and courage paid off. Origins Jump to Section. Making a skateboard in the s: roller skates and a fruit crate board.

Tony Ava.