Skateboard History

1960's


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The big innovation of the 60’s was that now companies were actually manufacturing parts for real skateboards, ones that worked. Companies such as Larry Stevenson's Makaha and Hobie Alter's Hobie were the ones that saw the great opportunity in skateboard inspired in surfing mass production. Some of the names that are remembered until today for being pioneers in surfed styled skateboarding were; Bill and Mark Richards, Dannu Bearer, Bruce Logan and Torger Johnson. The art of skating was a sudden hit, for it became popular almost from night to day. The companies were ferociously competing between each other to keep up with the market demand. One astonishing fact is that during a three year period over 50 MILLION skateboards were sold. Skateboarding had become such a popular sport that in 1963, the first skateboarding contest ever to happen took place in Hermosa Beach, CA.. Unluckily soon after an disaster occurred in the skateboarding history, in 1965 a group of so-called safety experts said skateboarding to be an unsafe sport. These believed experts urged stores to stop selling skateboards, as well as convincing parents not to let their children buy skateboards. This crash in skateboard popularity was however only one of the first downs in the history of skateboard.


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