1970s Skateboards

The Evolution of the Skateboard...

The earliest skateboards were invented in California in the 1950s! They were just wooden planks with roller skate wheels attached. The boards were hard to ride safely and skaters had a hard time steering them.

This kid took the wheels from his sister's roller skates!

By the 1960s, surfers in California were making their own boards. The decks were wooden and the wheels were rubber. Look at the shape of these boards from the 1960s and 1970s.

These boards were good for riding. They were easier to steer, and skaters were able to do tricks like this wall ride:

At the end of the 1970s, technology changed the way skaters rode their boards. The kicktail was one of the most important inventions in skateboarding history. Larry Stevenson invented the Kicktail, and suddenly new tricks and moves were possible!

See the different shapes skaters were experimenting with?

Since the 1980s, the shape of skate decks has changed again. Now skaters ride boards with a nose and a tail. The boards are smaller and lighter than they were in the 1980s. The smaller size and weight makes tricks easier to perform.