Skateboarding History

Most sources agree that the first skateboard in skateboarding history was seen in the 1950s and its creation was more a result of people’s interest in surfing than skateboarding in and of itself. The first skateboards in the history of skateboarding were very simple and home-made; roller skate trucks and wheels were attached to flat wooden planks. The intimate link that the history of skate boarding has with surfing can also be seen in the original name for skateboarding, which was “sidewalk surfing”; early skateboarding styles were essentially surfing moves brought out of the water.

The early to mid 1960s saw skateboarding gain an enormous amount of mainstream popularity. Important manufacturers in the surfing industry began constructing skateboards. Again, the history of the skateboard is linked to surfing; these manufactured boards essentially looked like small surfboards. Teams were also created that could promote the new skateboarding products. Skateboarder magazine was born and so were skateboarding competitions, some broadcast on national TV.

The majority of skateboarding during this time in the history of skateboarding was either downhill slalom or freestyle. Unfortunately, by 1966, though, skateboarding’s popularity declined, so much so that Skateboarder Magazine actually stopped publication. There were still skateboarders, who now had to revert back to home-made boards. This “depression” in skateboard history lasted until the early 1970s.

The history of skateboarding in the 70s saw Frank Nasworthy inventing the polyurethane skateboard wheel (similar to what is used today); this was a much better and safer wheel than what had been used up to the moment. He called his company Cadillac Wheels, to suggest to consumers that his new invention offered a smooth skateboarding ride. The performance of this wheel was a huge improvement and the history of skateboarding saw a surge in popularity again.

Companies started investing more in product development and the modern skateboard idea was reached in the late 1970s. Various materials were used for skateboard decks at this point in the history of skateboards, though the most common was maple plywood; trucks were designed specifically for skateboards. Skateboarders could count on a greater amount of skateboard control and so were able to invent tricks; it was in the late 1970s that skateboarders also started skating in empty swimming pools, giving rise to vert skateboarding. Street skaters broke off from the vert skaters and starting performing on flat ground.

The history of skateboard trends saw another depression in the early 1980s but came back in the mid 80s/90s with skateboarder-run skateboarding companies. Riding ramps became popular, but so did street skating. The early 1990s saw the last decline in the history of skateboards and skateboarding, but the decline was short-lived.

The current skateboarding trend is highly focused on street skating, though other types of skateboarding still exist. If you’re looking for history on skateboards, history on skateboarding, or something like the history of skateboard shoes, you should read a short history of skateboarding, available on a number of Internet sites.