The Bottom Line: Learn something new about skateboarding!
The Full Story:
- California was the birthplace of the skateboarding culture. It came into existence as the waves were too weak for surfing. In effect Californians created a surfboard with wheels.
- The very first skateboards were like scooters and dated way back to the early 1900’s. They were generally wood-bases with milk crates nailed onto them. These skateboards also sported handles.
- 1959 was when the first commercially manufactured skateboard called the Roller Derby Skateboard was put up for sale. Its wheels were made of clay.
- In Norway, the ownership, use and sale of skateboards was banned from 1978-1989. A shocking increase in the number of people getting injured while riding a skateboard prompted the government to implement the ban.
- In the early 1970’s Frank Nasworthy added polyurethane wheel technology to skateboards.
- Road Rider launched the very first precision-bearing skateboard wheels. This put an end to years of loose ball bearings.
- In 1976, Florida built the first outdoor skate-park. Soon, all of North America had skate-parks. Soon after, skateboarding moved from being a horizontal to a vertical sport.
- Jim Muir and Wes Humpston were the ones to market the first successful line of skateboards with graphics on them. These were marketed under the Dogtown brand name. Post this almost every board manufacturer started manufacturing boards with graphics.
- The United States Marine Corps experimented with the use of off-the-shelf skateboards in the late 1990’s. They used these in urban-combat military maneuver exercises to detect sniper fire and tripwires.