The background of skateboarding started earlier than many people might think. Also, it includes a lot more technological advancements that contributed to its popularity over the decades. Fitness, fun, media influences, and new laws all affected it. Today, approximately 9 million Americans and 80+ million people worldwide skateboard regularly.
Who Is the Inventor of the Skateboard?
It’s impossible to say exactly who is the first person to attach roller skate wheels to a wooden board and ride it down a hill. Kids and teens were probably doing that and experimenting with tricks way back in the 1940s. In the early 50s, California surfers launched the idea of skateboarding to the world. They called it sidewalk surfing, and it gave them a similar feel to catching waves in the ocean.
Bill Richard, a shop owner with connections to the Chicago Roller Skate Company, first handled the manufacturing of wheels specifically designed for this purpose. In the 1960s, multiple brands took up the call and started designing and building the full deck and wheels together.
What Happened When the Skateboard Was Invented?
There was never a time in the whole background of skateboarding that saw a complete lack of this popular pastime. The early surfers still grab boards with wheels when they can’t get out to the ocean. People of all ages emulated their skills, and the pastime quickly spread across the country. The first exhibition happened at a Jr. High School in 1963. California was the epicenter of creation.
The Rise and Fall of Skateboarding Popularity
However, how popular it was did come and go based on a variety of factors. The initial boost slowed down, and skateboarding dwindled as a mainstream activity until the mid-1970s. Cadillac Wheels company developed smooth-riding, hard-wearing polyurethane wheels, which gave skaters something to get excited about again. Skate parks were built in many locations.
The 1980s saw another surge, perhaps helped along by Marty McFly’s famous boarding scene in “Back to the Future.” At this point, famous and even professional skateboarders took over the industry. Tricks got more challenging and more impressive. Street skating was practically a way of life for some.
Unfortunately, businesses and local officials also began to speak out against it more firmly. Laws were passed prohibiting it in many locations. Young people prosecuted for doing kickflips in parking lots spoke out, but the pastime did lose some of its popularity for a while. As the 2000s began, the trend reversed and skateboarding became the most popular pastime for people under 18 in the USA. Go Skateboarding Day launched in 2003 as a fun holiday promoting the sport. In 2020, it came to the Olympics in Tokyo.
Through its long and interesting history, skateboarding became so many things to a wide variety of people. For some, the wide, flat boards are simply a form of transportation. For others, it’s a chance to do amazing tricks in parks or halfpipes at huge venues. Often mainstream, sometimes subversive, skateboarding still enjoys popularity that won’t go away any time soon. Get yourself a Nattork skateboard and join in on the fun.
Read More:
Skateboarding vs. Roller Skating: Which One is Right for You?
