Who invented the first skateboard? It wasn’t just one person, says Jane Rogers. She has studied the history of skateboarding at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. “Kids across the country invented skateboarding.”

The first versions of skateboards appeared in the early 1900s. Kids broke apart their roller skates and attached the steel wheels to the sides of wooden fruit crates. They held the crates like handles and rode them like scooters (see Skateboard Design Over Time). 

Later, in the 1950s and 1960s, kids built themselves homemade skateboards out of planks of wood and roller skate wheels. In California, on days when the ocean didn’t have tall enough waves for surfing, they rode the boards like surfboards down the street. It wasn’t long before toy companies began designing and selling skateboards.

Those boards couldn’t do what today’s skateboards can do. Their wheels—made from either metal or hard clay—slipped on the sidewalk. And they had no cushioning, resulting in a jolting ride. “You could feel every bump in the road,” says Rogers. Plus, with no way to turn or jump, skaters could ride only in straight lines. 

Skateboarding was thought to be a passing fad. In the late 1960s, the sport nearly died out.

Who invented the first skateboard? It wasn’t just one person, says Jane Rogers. She studies the history of skateboarding at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. “Kids across the country invented skateboarding.”

The first versions of skateboards appeared in the early 1900s. Kids broke apart their roller skates. They attached the steel wheels to wooden fruit crates. They held the crates like handles. They rode them like scooters (See Skateboard Design Over Time).

Later, in the 1950s and 1960s, kids built homemade skateboards. They made them out of planks of wood and roller skate wheels. On some days in California, the ocean didn’t have tall enough waves for surfing. On those days, kids rode the skateboards like surfboards down the street. Soon toy companies began designing and selling skateboards.

Those boards couldn’t do what today’s skateboards can do. Their wheels were made from either metal or hard clay. These wheels slipped on the sidewalk. The boards had no cushioning. This resulted in a jolting ride. “You could feel every bump in the road,” says Rogers. Plus, there was no way to turn or jump. Skaters could ride only in straight lines.

Skateboarding was thought to be a passing fad. By the late 1960s, the sport had nearly died out.

For many years, there were no helmets or pads designed for skateboarding. Some skaters cobbled together safety gear like bike helmets, volleyball pads, and other sports equipment. Others didn’t wear safety gear at all. 

“Skateboarding is a physical sport,” says Rogers. Falls are part of learning new tricks.

Fortunately things changed in the 1990s. Skateboarding had finally become a mainstream sport. Engineers worked to design safety gear with skateboarders in mind. Soon companies were selling helmets and other equipment to help make skaters’ falls safer. Better shoe designs helped skaters keep their feet from slipping off the board.

Today skateboarding is more popular than ever. Millions of people around the world have taken up the sport. In 2021, skateboarding was included in the Olympic Games for the first time! Skaters can choose from all kinds of boards for different styles of skateboarding. There are even electric boards that travel 25 miles per hour! 

There’s no telling what the future of skateboarding will hold. As skaters around the world come up with new ways to push the sport forward, ask yourself: How do you want to move?

For many years, there was no gear designed for skateboarding. There were no special helmets or pads. Some skaters used safety gear from other sports. This included bike helmets and volleyball pads. Others didn’t wear safety gear at all.

As skaters practiced tricks, they fell and fell. Then they fell again. “Skateboarding is a physical sport,” says Rogers. “The first thing you learn is how to fall without seriously injuring yourself.” By the 1990s, skateboarding had finally become a common sport. Designers made special helmets and other safety gear. This equipment helped make falling a little safer. Better shoe designs helped skaters too. These shoes keep their feet from slipping off the board.

Today skateboarding is very popular. Millions of people around the world have taken up the sport. In 2021, skateboarding was included in the Olympic Games. That was the first time! Skaters can choose from all kinds of boards for different styles of skateboarding. There are even electric boards. These boards can travel 25 miles per hour!

There’s no telling what the future of skateboarding will hold. As skaters around the world come up with new ways to push the sport forward, ask yourself: How do you want to move?