The Renaissance Man's Sneakers Weeb Site: Tires and Sneakers

	The Renaissance Man's Sneakers Weeb Site
	History

A brief history of sneaker development

Tires and Sneakers
Tires, as well as sneakers, are made of fabric and rubber. Therefore, there should be no surprise that many tire manufacturers at one time made sneakers. Interestingly, in South African slang, "tackies" can be either car tires or sneakers.
Firestone
Firestone made sneakers in the past. In fact, Firestone tire stores once marketed all types of products (including radios and television sets).
Goodrich
B.F. Goodrich, if you remember your Baby Boomer advertising, was the tire company without the blimp. In the early 1970s, Goodrich sold their sneaker designs to Converse and left the sneaker market. (In the late 1980s, Goodrich left the tire market; they now make aerospace systems.) Goodrich made the original PF Flyer sneaker line. The Jack Purcell (still made by Converse) was originally a Goodrich sneaker design.
Goodyear
The familiar logo of The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company incorporates a classic and frequently-used graphic which veritably makes most think: "TRACK SHOES!" (The graphic actually portrays the winged foot of Mercury, the resident messenger of the pantheon of Roman mythological gods.) Goodyear sells rubber and polymer components to the shoe industry, but (according to what I was told by a retiree from Goodyear Consumer Relations) they never sold any shoes.
Uniroyal
(formerly) United States Rubber Company
The United States Rubber Company originally made Keds. This vintage advertisement of the United States Rubber Export Company offered many products to Latin American buyers: not only the familiar high-top KEDS sneakers (called "botinas," which translates into English as "ankle boots"), but also tires, rubber hose, and V-belts.

Later on, United States Rubber changed their name to the more familiar Uniroyal. Eventually, Stride Rite took over the Keds product line.
Goodrich and Uniroyal Today?
The tire brands Goodrich and Uniroyal are now brand names of the famous French tire maker Michelin. The closest thing Michelin has to sneakers is their tire-carcass mascot, Bibendum (better known as "The Michelin Man" or "Mr. Bib").

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.
In the mid part of the 20th century, the sneaker become a more common cultural phenomenon with emphasis being put on new technologies for athletes. Sports legends such as Joe Namath and Steve Prefontaine became known as much for their performance as for their shoes, however, the first major line of sneakers was endorsed by Chicago Bulls player, Michael Jordan. The Jordan line, to date, has spawned 19 released Air Jordans, the soon to be released Jordan XX, and numerous Team Jordan models.
1962: Phil Knight, a business major at the University of Oregon, and his coach, Bill Bowerman, partner to provide a low cost, high tech athletic shoe under the name Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS)
1968: BRS begins marketing new designs and technology and changes their name to Nike. Nike is named after the Greek Goddess of Victory.
1968: PUMA is the first sports shoe manufacture to offer Velcro fasteners.
1969: Quarterback Joe Namath, wearing PUMA shoes, leads the New York Jets to victory in SuperBowl III.
1971: The Nike Swoosh trademark is purchased from a graphic design student for $35.
1972: Bill Bowerman pours rubber into his wife's waffle iron, creating the basis for the popular Nike Waffle Racer; a shoe with the optimal traction of waffle soles, wedged heel, the cushioned mid-sole, and nylon uppers. Nike marketed its waffle soled shoe by saying that four of the top seven runners at the 1972 Olympic Trials wore Nike shoes.
1973: Steve Prefontaine, runner and an American record-holder, becomes the first major athlete to wear Nike running shoes.
1974: Nike releases the Waffle Trainer, with Bill Bowerman's famous waffle outsole.
1974: Converse releases the Converse One Star line of shoes, representing an entire lifestyles of Indie athlete; individuals whose lifestyle, sports and style are fused together by creativity, imagination and self-expression. Always popular with an eclectic crowd these shoes are now popular in the surf and skate community.
1979: Nike creates the first Nike Air sole units, resulting in the revolutionary Nike Air cushioning. Nike also releases their first running shoe with the patented Nike Air technology, the Nike Tailwind.
1981: Blue Ribbon Sports and Nike merge to form Nike, Inc.
1982: Nike releases the first of a long line of shoes, the Air Force One. This durable shoe has been released in a low, mid, and high-top versions. The Air Force 1 has survived over two decades with little change to its basic design and continues to remain a legacy and a fashion statement with its numerous colorways, however, the all white AF1 remains the favorite.
1985: Chicago Bulls basketball rookie, Michael Jordan, endorses a line of Nike shoes and apparel. Nike releases the first Air Jordan.
The latter part of the 20th century and the first part of the 21st century was all about celebrity endorsements and limited editions. Nike Jordan brand released retro editions of the classic Air Jordans and continued to release new models. Bill Bowerman, father of Nike Inc. died in December 1999, but Nike kept going strong to release a revolution cushioning system called Nike Shox. Reebok, in a bid to strengthen their sales, forms an unheard of partnership with various music artists to create their Sound and Rhythm line.
1987: The first Nike Air Max shoes is released, giving athletes their first real introduction to the Nike Air cushioning. Nike also releases the first Air Cross Trainer, a shoe cushioned enough for aerobics and court sports.
1989: Puma releases its Trinomic sport shoe system.
1991: Puma introduces its high-tech PUMA disc system sport shoe.
1996: PUMA introduces the first foam-free midsole with PUMA CELL technology.
1998: Bauer Nike Hockey is formed, dedicated to producing quality footwear for hockey players.
1999: Basketball star, Vince Carter, is name NBA Rookie of the Year.
1999: Nike co- founder, Bill Bowerman, dies in December.
2000: Sales of Nike Golf products soar after Tiger Woods switches to Nike golf balls wins three majors during the season.
2001: Nike introduces the Nike Shox, the most advanced support technology. The Shox system is based on columns of specially engineered foam that provide superior impact cushioning thus creating a new revolution in shoe design
2003: Nike acquires long-time shoe manufacturer, Converse, Inc.
2003: Converse re-issues authentic presentations of classic athletic performance shoes such as the Chuck Taylor All Star and the Jack Purcell. These editions are now popular with fans of nostalgic fashion and those wanting to return to the purity of past sports eras.
2004: Reebok releases several editions of their popular G-Unit from their Sound and Rhythm line; a never before seen partnership of music and footwear.
2005: Jordan Brand celebrates it's 20th aniversary and the anticipated Jordan XX will be released.


		© Ragnar Torfason 2006 April 7