The History of Running Shoes

The middle part of the 1900's is where the running shoe really become predominate. People like Joe Namath became known for their performance, and shoes. In 1968 the company called BRS changed their name to become Nike! And just 4 years after that in 1972, some clever cogs at Nike (Bill Bowerman for those taking notes - and a co-founder of Nike!!) poured rubber into his wife's waffle iron to create the Nike Waffle Racer (released two years later, in 1974) with all the grip that, well, a waffle does! I hope they cleaned the waffle maker afterwards.

In the later part of the 20th century, it was all about style. Limited editions, celebrity endorsements and hey, things were getting big. In 1987, the Nike Air Max shoes are launched, and this really introduced athletes to the Nike Air System. Nike were doing it big (and still are...)!

Well, sneakers, running shoes, whatever you want to call them have most certainly come a long way since the primitive 'Plimsolls' which graced the 1800's. On their journey to the successful shoe that they are today, we get to thank the industrial revolution, some clever inventors, a washroom, a 'sneaky' name, 1950's teenagers and a waffle iron. History is bizarre sometimes, isn't it???

Information from http://www.sneakerhead.com/sneaker-history-p1.html