1830's
A plimsoll shoe or simply plimsoll is a type of athletic shoe with a canvas upper and rubber sole, developed as beachwear in the 1830s by the Liverpool Rubber Company (later to become Dunlop). The shoe was originally, and often still is in parts of the UK, called a 'sand shoe' and acquired the nickname 'plimsoll' in the 1870s. This name derived, according to Nicholette Jones' book "The Plimsoll Sensation" because the colored horizontal band joining the upper to the sole resembled the Plimsoll line on a ship's hull, or because, just like the Plimsoll line on a ship, if water got above the line of the rubber sole, the wearer would get wet.
1890
Goodyear, then a rubber shoe company and division of the U.S. Rubber Company- Naugatuck, Connecticut begins to manufacture rubber and canvas shoes under different names, finally settling on Keds as the best name. .
Goodyear, then a rubber shoe company and division of the U.S. Rubber Company- Naugatuck, Connecticut begins to manufacture rubber and canvas shoes under different names, finally settling on Keds as the best name. .
1908
Marquis M. Converse establishes Converse sneaker company, revolutionizing the game of basketball for more than half a century and becoming an American icon.
1917
Keds are the first mass marketed athletic shoes. These shoes are later called Sneakers by Henry Nelson McKinney, an advertising agent for N. W. Ayer & Son, because the soles are quiet and make no noise on any surface.
1917
Converse releases the world's first performance basketball shoe, the Converse All Star.
1920
Adi Dassler, founder of Adidas, begins producing handmade training shoes in his mother's washroom without electricity.
1923
The All Star gives way to the Chuck Taylor All Star, a staple of basketball players, kids, and rebels for more than 50 years. Also known as Chucks, Cons, Connies, these shoes, to date, have sold more than 744 million in 144 countries.
1924
Adi and Rudolph Dassler, with the help of some 50 family members, register their business as Gebr der Dassler Schuhfabrik in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
1931
Adidas produces its first tennis shoe.
1935
Converse releases the Jack Purcell with its telltale “Smile” on the front. They became a staple of early Hollywood and the bad boy crowd, but remained famous longer after the 1930's badminton/tennis champion, Jack Purcell, had faded into history.
1936
Jesse Owens wore adidas track shoes, during his spectacular Olympic performance in 1936, where he earned four gold medals.
1948
Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler is founded and the world is introduced to the PUMA Atom, PUMA's first football shoe worn by members of the West German football team.
1949
Kihachiro Onitsuka formed the predecessor of ASICS Corp., Onitsuka Co., Ltd., in Kobe, Japan, in 1949. He was motivated by the use of sports as a means to rehabilitate juveniles there after World War II.
1950's
Sneakers are the preferred footwear of teenagers and the symbol of rebellion. These cheap and easily obtained shoes are worn by students around the world. In the U.S., cheerleaders wear sweaters, short skirts, and ankle socks with canvas topped shoes (or keds). The fashion is officially sanctioned when James Dean is photographed wearing his Levis jeans and white sneakers.
Sneakers are the preferred footwear of teenagers and the symbol of rebellion. These cheap and easily obtained shoes are worn by students around the world. In the U.S., cheerleaders wear sweaters, short skirts, and ankle socks with canvas topped shoes (or keds). The fashion is officially sanctioned when James Dean is photographed wearing his Levis jeans and white sneakers.
1962
Phil Knight, a business major at the University of Oregon, and his coach, Bill Bowerman, partner to provide a low cost, high tech athletic shoe under the name Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS).
Phil Knight, a business major at the University of Oregon, and his coach, Bill Bowerman, partner to provide a low cost, high tech athletic shoe under the name Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS).
1966
K-Swiss was founded by two Swiss brothers who were well known international skiers. After moving to California, the brothers became fanatic tennis players and developed the K-Swiss ‘Classic’, the first successful American leather tennis shoe.
1966
Vans was started by Paul Van Doren in 1966, and he opened his first store in Anaheim, California. His business partners were Jim Van Doren, Gordy Lee, and Serge D’Elia. The day they opened the store they only had displays for show, and the customers had to pick what shoe they wanted.After that, they asked them to come back the next day to pick up their shoes.
1968
BRS begins marketing new designs and technology and changes their name to Nike. Nike is named after the Greek Goddess of Victory.
BRS begins marketing new designs and technology and changes their name to Nike. Nike is named after the Greek Goddess of Victory.
1968
PUMA is the first sports shoe manufacture to offer Velcro fasteners.
1969
Quarterback Joe Namath, wearing PUMA shoes, leads the New York Jets to victory in SuperBowl III.
1971
The Nike Swoosh trademark is purchased from a graphic design student for $35.
1972
Bill Bowerman pours rubber into his wife's waffle iron, creating the basis for the popular Nike Waffle Racer; a shoe with the optimal traction of waffle soles, wedged heel, the cushioned mid-sole, and nylon uppers. Nike marketed its waffle soled shoe by saying that four of the top seven runners at the 1972 Olympic Trials wore Nike shoes.
1973
Steve Prefontaine, runner and an American record-holder, becomes the first major athlete to wear Nike running shoes.
1974
Nike releases the Waffle Trainer, with Bill Bowerman's famous waffle outsole.
1974
Converse releases the Converse One Star line of shoes, representing the lifestyles of Indie athletes; individuals whose lifestyle, sports and style are fused together by creativity, imagination and self-expression. Always popular with an eclectic crowd these shoes are now popular in the surf and skate community.
1979
Nike creates the first Nike Air sole units, resulting in the revolutionary Nike Air cushioning. Nike also releases their first running shoe with the patented Nike Air technology, the Nike Tailwind.
1981
Blue Ribbon Sports and Nike merge to form Nike, Inc.
1982
Nike releases the first of a long line of shoes, the Air Force One. This durable shoe has been released in a low, mid, and high-top versions. The Air Force 1 has survived over two decades with little change to its basic design and continues to remain a legacy and a fashion statement with its numerous colorways, however, the all white AF1 remains the favorite.
1985
Chicago Bulls basketball rookie, Michael Jordan, endorses a line of Nike shoes and apparel. Nike releases the first Air Jordan.
2002
James Moore founder of the California Sneaker Museum (mobile). Providing over 100 years of sneaker history . Exploring the Evolution of the sneaker.
- SNEAKER TIMELINE
