Skateboarding Timeline!

Skateboarding Timeline

1970s

1990s

2010s

1940-50s

The first ever skateparks were built in Florida and California

Street skateboarding in cities took off hugely

Skateboarding became an Olympic sport!

Sidewalk surfing was invented and started to gain popularity

1980s

2000s

1960s

Freestyle tricks started to become more popular as was skating in the streets

More kids were skateboarding than playing Basketball

Surfing manufacturers started to produce skateboards

Popular skateboarder & internet personality, Rob Dyrdek created Street League Skateboarding. This skateboarding competition invited the best of the best skaters from around the world to come and compete.

Skateboarding where people would skate the walls of pools started to take off. This is called "vert" skating and is still popular to this day. Ty Page, Bruce Logan, Bobby Piercy, started this trend of vert skating and helped establish how to do tricks in the bowls. As "vert" skating rose, skateparks started to face liability issues so skateboarders started to make their own ramps.

More kids in America were skateboarding rather than playing baseball. In 2003, Go Skate Day was created by the International Association of Skateboarding Companies. Go Skate Day is celebrated on June 21st and is celebrated as "to define skateboarding as the rebellious, creative celebration of independence it continues to be."

Many communities began adding skateparks all over their cities.

It's unkown who made the first skateboard, we do know that the first skateboarders started in California when they wanted to surf on land.

Boards really started to change in the 90s, going from small and hard wheels to the boards being bigger and having softer wheels. Skateboarders also started to film and post themselves skating online, making video parts and full lengths showcasing the tricks they've done. These videos would help skateboarders land sponsorships.

Skateboarding tricks on flatground started to take off, Rodney Mullen invented the "impossible" and the "kickflip". Skateboarding also got mentioned for the first time in film, when Back To The Future showed Marty Mcfly riding a board.

The Quarterly Skateboarder, 1964, was the first skateboarding magazine to be published. The magazine only lasted four issues but resumed publication in 1975 as "Skateboarder"