The+History+of+Skateboarding

The History of Skateboarding

There is no exact documentation of a first skateboarder. Instead it seems like there is a few people who had the same idea at the same time. Skateboarding was created by surfers in the mid 1950's, who needed a way to practice and have fun when the waves where flat. The first skateboards were rudimentary compared to the skateboards of today. People tooks boards of wood and attached roller skate trucks and wheels to it. The wheels where made out of clay offering a very rough ride. Skateboarding gained popularity and started to be mass produced by the end the 1950's. It kept gaining popularity until the mid 1960's where it was deemed unsafe by many worried people. It lost popularity and entered a slump. Many skateboarding innovations happened during this slump. The kicktail was invented. A kicktail is when the end(s) of a skateboard are slanted up to make it easier to lift up the nose or tail. It was also during this slump that other innovations where made like the urethane wheel which made the ride a lot smoother and more grippy than the clay wheels that where used before. During the 1970's skateboarding surged in popularity. Newer skateparks where built and good skateboarders became sponsored by skate companies. These pro skaters could make comfortable livings as pro skaters. Skateboarding experienced another slump in the 1980's after skateparks where torn down for insurance reasons. During the slump a few people started to do vert tricks on the streets. These where the beginning of a new type of skateboarding. This new type of skateboarding would go on to become to more popular form.

Home