When were the first running shoes made? It is difficult to say, but the history of the brands that produce them goes back over 100 years. Which was the first? Which were made together? Which was the first to introduce EVA foam shoes and what were the other key moments in the history of running shoes as we know them today?
Let me take you on a brief journey through the history of running shoes and brands. We start at the end of the 19th century:
- 1895 – J.W. Foster and Sons Limited (the predecessor of Reebok) is founded in Bolton, England.
- 1898 – Saucony Shoe is founded in Kutztown, Pennsylvania.
— 1900 —
- 1906 – The brothers Rihachi and Rizo Mizuno found Mizuno Brothers Ltd. in Osaka.
- 1906 – William J. Riley founds New Balance, a company producing shoe insoles.
— 1910 —
- 1914 – John Brooks Goldenberg founds the Brooks Brothers brand in Philadelphia.
— 1920 —
- 1924 – Adolf and Rudulf Dassler, brothers, founded Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik, the predecessor of the adidas brand.
— 1930 —
- 1936 – Jessie Owens wins the 100m and 200m at the Berlin Olympics wearing shoes made by the Dassler brothers.
- 1938 – The first running shoes by New Balance are launched.
— 1940 —
- 1947 – Georges Salomon founds the Salomon brand in France.
- 1948 – Due to disagreements between the brothers, the Dassler Schuhfabrik is split into two public limited companies: Adidas AG and Puma AG.
- 1948 – Rudolf Dassler founds the Puma brand.
- 1948 – Adolf Dassler founds the adidas brand.
- 1949 – Onitsuka Tiger is founded in Kobe, the predecessor of the Asics brand.
- 1949 – Adidas registers the three-stripe trademark, which was purchased from Karhu for the equivalent of 1,600 euros and two bottles of whiskey.
— 1950 —
- 1958 – The company Reebok is founded by the grandsons of the founder of J.W. Foster and Sons Limited.
— 1960 —
- 1964 – Phil Knight founds Blue Ribbon and starts distributing Onitsuka Tiger shoes.
- 1967 – The now-famous silhouette of a leaping cat appears in the Puma logo.
— 1970 —
- 1971 – The Swoosh, Nike’s trademark, is created for $35.
- 1974 – Bill Bowermann creates the “waffle” sole, which becomes the basis for Nike shoe construction.
- 1975 – Brooks presents the first shoes with EVA foam soles.
- 1977 – Onitsuka Tiger merges with GTO Sports Nets & Sportswear and ASICS is born.
- 1978 – Blue Ribbon becomes Nike.
- 1979 – Nike shoes feature cushioning based on the Nike Air system.
— 1980 —
- 1981 – The Merrell brand is founded.
- 1983 – The first Nike Pegasus is launched – Nike’s flagship running shoe.
- 1986 – The first Asics shoes with GEL cushioning material are launched.
— 1990 —
- 1990 – The Skechers brand is founded.
- 1993 – The first Asics Gel-Kayano is launched, the flagship model of the Asics brand.
- 1994 – The first Brooks Adrenaline is launched, the flagship model of the Brooks brand.
- 1996 – Kevin Plank founds the company Under Armour in Baltimore.
- 1997 – Mizuno presents the Mizuno Wave cushioning technology.
— 2000 —
- 2003 – Wayne Edy founds the inov-8 brand.
- 2005 – Nike presents the natural running shoe, the Nike Free.
- 2006 – Vibram presents the Vibram Five Fingers
- 2006 – Adidas buys the Reebok brand for 3.8 billion dollars.
- 2008 – Usain Bolt sets a new world record in the 100 meters wearing Puma shoes.
- 2009 – The Altra brand is founded in the USA.
— 2010 —
- 2010 – Brooks presents the first shoe with a system that uses a non-Newtonian material – DNA.
- 2010 – Two former Salomon employees, Nicolas Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard, found the Hoka brand.
- 2010 – The On brand is founded in Switzerland by three friends: Oliver Bernhard, David Allemann and Caspar Coppio.
- 2013 – Adidas presents shoes with adidas boost technology.
- 2018 – Nike presents the first shoe with a carbon fiber plate – the Vaporfly 4%.
- 2019 – Eliud Kipchoge runs a marathon in under 2 hours in the Nike Alphafly Next% prototype.
— 2020 —
- In 2023, the adidas brand will launch the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, which weighs 138 grams.
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