The History of Skate Boards

Graphics were introduced to skateboards in the late 1970's.

The history of the skateboard begins as far back as the early 1900's. The first skateboards were contraptions made of a plank of wood with roller skate wheels attached to it. These devices were homemade and had a vertical push-bar extending from the base. They were more like scooters than the skateboards you see on the streets today.

The Skateboard of the 50's

In the 1950's the scooter type skateboard was popular and was being manufactured professionally. Maneuverable trucks (the device that holds the wheel) had been developed making the device much more controllable. Towards the end of the 1950's surfing became extremely popular in America and people began to simulate surfing on the streets. By 1959 the first Roller Derby skateboard was on sale. The new skateboards lost the vertical push bar and were shaped like mini surfboards; they also used clay wheels. The phenomena of sidewalk surfing was born.

The Skateboard in the 60's

In the early 1960's skateboarding became increasingly popular. The first skateboard contests were being held and the famous surfer Hobie Alter teamed up with the Vita Pakt juice company to create the Hobie Skateboards Company. Hobie skateboards were highly influential in the popularization of skateboarding. Skateboards were by now being used to skate the street and sidewalk but also to ride empty swimming pools. Over 50 million boards were sold in America between 1962 and 1965 but by the end of 1965 skateboarding had received a crash in popularity. Skateboarders were injuring themselves and cities began to ban skateboarding after a number of serious and fatal injuries.

The 70's Skateboard

Skateboarding, following the 1965 decline, stayed relatively underground until its second boom began in 1973. In 1970 a surfer named Frank Nasworthy developed the urethane skateboarding wheel. The urethane wheel made skateboarding smoother and, as the wheel had twice the grip of the clay wheel, much safer. By 1973 the wheel had reached California and skateboarding was popular again. Truck manufacturers began developing new skateboarding trucks, and precision wheel bearings were invented. Slalom, downhill and freestyle skateboarding started to be practiced by millions across America and a number of skateboard magazines were born.

Board Graphics and Increased Size

In the late 70's skateboards changed from being 6 to 7 inches in width to over nine inches. This increase in size enabled better stability on vertical surfaces. At about the same time the Dogtown skateboard label was launched by top skateboarders Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Wes Humpston, Jim Muir and Tom Inoyoue. The Dogtown label marketed the first successful range of skateboards with graphics underneath. Their boards were so popular that soon all board manufacturers were putting graphics on their skateboards.

The 1980's an 90's.

The 1980's saw street skating begin to take off and the popularization of the "ollie"; a trick which allowed skaters to jump from flat land. The 80's also saw the introduction of the plywood ramp which revitalized skateboarding.

In the early 90's the popularity of vert style skateboarding meant that most riders were using small boards with even smaller wheels. However, by the late 90's street skateboarding was much more popular than vert; so much wider decks were being used along with wheels of larger diameters. Also in the late 90's longboards--a type of extended skateboard used for cruising and carving rather than tricks--resurfaced. The popularity of street luge also meant that the late 90's and early 2000's saw a resurgence in downhill skateboarding and advancements in the downhill skateboard.

References

• Skate log: Skateboarding History
• Sk8UK: The History of Skateboarding