History of SneakersTaylor Martin

The 1800’sThe sneakers date all the way back to the 1800’s. You might be thinking where did the name sneaker come from? Well they came up with it because, someone wearing the sneaker could easily sneak up on someone else without them even knowing.

Main featureThe main feature of the sneaker is it’s rubber sole. The first rubber soled shoe was called a Plimsoles, they were manufactured in the U.S. in the 1800’s. Back when they first started making them they made them on absolutely straight last, meaning no right or left shoe. They were also made by hand sewing everything on the shoe together.

The ProcessBack in 1845 the first machine to be permanent in a shoe industry came into use. It was a Rolling machine, which replaced and hammer previously used by hand shoemakers for pounding sole leather, a method of increasing wear by compacting the fibers. Followed by Elias Howe’s invention, the sewing machine in 1846.

Spiked shoesIn 1890’s a British company, which is now called Reebok created running shoes with spikes on them. The shoe’s design was developed because he thought it was necessary. The founder of the company liked running and he wanted a design that would make him run faster.

GoodyearI bet you didn’t know that Goodyear use to be a rubber shoe company in 1892 and today they produce tires.

ConverseThe next company to release a sneaker to the world in 1917 was converse made by Marquis M. Converse. They had called it converse all star, and the shoe was worn by basketball players. The flat bottom made it easier for the players to pivot back and forth without a lot of friction.

Advancements to spike shoes

In 1925 a company founded by Adi Dassler, now known as Adidas made a variety of shoes with hand-forged spikes. They offered a variety of shoes for different distances. The company used the strongest and lightest materials that were available to make the running shoes.

AdidasAdi and Rudolph Dassler two German’s had made the first shoe for tennis. In 1931 was when Adidas became a shoe brand.

PumaAfter Rudolph Dassler started to associate with Puma Schuhfabrik in 1948 to make yet another popular brand Puma shoe for football.

Teen’sIt wasn’t until the 1950’s for sneakers to be preferred footwear for teen’s. It became a symbol of rebellion. Students around the world wore these cheap and easily obtained shoes.

NikeNike didn’t even enter the scene until 1968 after Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman got together to create Blue Ribbon Sports shoes.

ExperimentingIn 1972, Bill Bowerman was studying the pattern on a waffle iron, he had the idea of waffle soles. Bowerman then placed rubber in his waffle iron and then glued it to the bottom of a pair of shoes, which he later gave to athletes to test out. The athletes gave him good reviews that they offered better traction in a lighter-weight, more durable shoe.

NikeIn 1979 Nike’s Air technology, which used a gas-filled bag of air inserted in the sole of the shoe to cushion the impact of running. In 1980 they sold pumps so they could insert more air.

NikeNike introduced their Nike Shox advanced support technology in 2001. They used engineered foam to give the runners and all athletes cushioning and support.

Referenceshttp://wwww.design-technology.org/sportsshoes1.htm

http://shoesobsessions.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/shoes.history/

http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~jones/mckay/history/

http://www.articlesphere.com/article/a-sneaker-evolution

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0932723.html