History

Skateboard history in the past 60 years consists of a series of booms (significant popularity and high commercial sales) and busts (decline in interest and low commercial sales) [5]. Busts were mainly due to government policies banning skateboard activities and skateboard companies going bankrupt.
The idea of skateboarding first appeared in 1950s when California surfers thought of a way to surf on concrete surfaces called “sidewalk surfing” [1]. Companies such as Makaha and Hobie capitalized on this idea of “sidewalk surfing” during this time as it was an alternative version when no rideable waves were available [4]. The skateboard was a spontaneous creation created by people, and it is uncertain who invented the first one. The first generation of skateboards was typically made of wooden boxes or boards with roller skate wheels attached on the bottom [2]. Because the materials of the skateboard were fragile and crudely designed, the deck of the skateboard would often fail to support the weight of the person or the poor mechanical performance of wheels would lead to accidents. The skateboards were improved by replacing the skateboard decks with planks which consisted of pressed layers of maple wood and similar materials are also used in today’s skateboards [1]. …show more content…
The shape of the deck resembled a miniature surfboard [5]. Other manufacturers during this time explored the use of other materials such as fiberglass, epoxy and maple wood [5]. Interest in skateboarding gradually declined due to the poor level of technology at the time as people became fearful of the risks associated with skateboarding