The Sneaker: A History

The History of Sneakers I (1800 - 1950)
The History of Sneakers II (1950 - 1985)
The History of Sneakers III (1986 - 2005)

The sneaker is a relatively modern invention with its roots in the Industrial Revolution. With new materials like vulcanized rubber and new production methods like assembly lines, shoes could now be manufactured more cheaply and efficiently where once each shoe had to be produced by hand by a shoemaker.

The early part of the 20th century witnessed the birth of many of the familiar sneaker brands, but sneakers stayed the domain of athletes until Hollywood picked up on the fashion, first in the 1930's and then again in the 1950's when teen icon, James Dean, was photographed wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. From then on, these cheap, durable shoes became part of the official uniform of kids around the world. The following timeline will illustrate the technological and cultural history of the sneaker.

1800's

The first rubber-soled shoes, called plimsolls, were manufactured

1892

Goodyear, then a rubber shoe company and division of the U.S. Rubber Company, begins to manufacture rubber and canvas shoes under different names, finally settling on Keds as the best name.

1908

Marquis M. Converse establishes Converse shoe 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.

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.

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.

 

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