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EARLY 1950's
In California and Hawaii, it was originally surfers that wanted the same feeling of surfing but on land with wheels. They used surfboards ( cut down in length) with wheels made of metal -
Late 1950's
With the toy industry being introduce to this board, the skateboard peaked in late 1950's, by 1959, Roller Derby developed a new improved skateboard for tricks. more people were becoming interested. -
1960-62
The skateboard became increasingly popular changing from a toy to sports equipment. In 1962 'Val Surf', a skate shop in Hollywood sold their first SELF produced and complete boards, These featured the typical surfboard shape to roller skate tricks. -
1966
In 1963, the publisher of 'surf guide magazine' Larry Stevenson release the first ad for skateboards in his magazine. The clothing industry also got on board and started specialising more in skateboards. the first skateboard contest also happened in 1963, in Hermosa Beach California as skaters started off just cruising, new skills and tricks emerged. -
1972
In 1969 Larry Stevenson made the kicktail- this board is curved at the rear allowing you to launch the board off the ground with your feet. In 1972 Frank Nasworthy invented urethane wheels for a smoother, faster and comfier ride, He started a company named 'Cadillac wheels' Freestyle and slalom reached a whole new level. Skaters in the US found empty swimming pools to skate in. Meanwhile, in Australia, a small number of riders started organising small "bowl riding" Championships -
1976
In 1976 the very first artificially created skateboard park was made and parks with vertical ramps and kickers were being seen more and more. During the mid-'70s skateboarding reached Germany. American soldiers brought the trend with them and by 1976 'Munich" became the first German Skateboard centre. -
1978
The first German skateboard championship was held in Munich, where you got to sell all of the different riders with their individual styles and new, improved tricks to show off. This resulted in skateboard hardware being developed; boards got wider, more concave featuring nose and tail shapes changed, In 1978 Alan Gelfond invented the Oilie- a trick where the rider jumps with the skateboard in the air, This was the birth of Street Skating! -
1980
Rodney Mullen was one of the first riders to invent different manoeuvres of the ollie such as the flat ground ollie, the head flip, kickflip, 360 flips and many more, Not only that but he invented the airwalk, sidewinders and many more, -
1983
In 1981 the "THRASHER magazine was founded and has since been the top magazine to stand for street skateboarding, the core scene, punk rock and the lifestyle slogan "skate & destroy" By 1983 more skateboarding magazines came out and also more skate shops. Videos of new tricks became the new thing. -
1985
From the mid-80's you could earn good money as a professional skateboarder and the industry raised in the US, In the late 1980's companies like Dowell. Peralta, Vision and Santa Cruz rule the international market for the scene. The fashion was mainly determined by shoes. Shoes by Converse, vans and visions became the main brands on the scene. Skateboarding was now fully established in the US -
1990
Skateboarding went through a further depth phase where it went back to its roots- because of the increase of different trends in sport, although still maintained its presence in the public because of digitalisation. -
1999
With skateboarding becoming a professional worldwide sport more and more Australian skateboarders found fame. Australia got a no of its now-famous parks including Martin Place, Australia saw more skate parks, skate schools and skateboarding was becoming a equitable, sustainable sport. -
1995
Modern skateboarding went through a next high phase and still continues today. Huge events such as X games came out on
TV. Due to all the events, magazines and videos and the internet, skateboarding became a worldwide sport. -
1999
This shows how big of an impact skateboarding has had on the world and our society. Although skateboarding has become a job for many people. it is increasing more everyday, for a lot of people skateboarding is simply a hobby and way of life. From the late '90s to now, loads of events have been held and tricks constantly evolving. the most important and significant change for skateboarding history is it's officially an Olympic sport!
