The origin of the skateboard, like the origin of the mountain bike, is buried deep in rumor and anecdote. Though the first "official" skateboard, the "Roller Derby Skateboard," was introduced in 1959, hundreds of children claim to have attached a piece of plywood to a pair of rollerskates prior to this date. These early boards bore little resemblance to their modern counterparts, and were often only a few inches wide, and very thick to prevent breaking.

As "sidewalk surfing" (as this first appearance of skateboarding came to be called) grew in popularity, the boards became more purpose designed, growing wider and thinner for better control. However, as advanced as these designs became, they still shared one inescapable flaw: the clay wheel. Clay wheels lacked durability, had extremely high (by modern standards) rolling resistance and did not grip the ground well. As accidents due to clay wheels piled up, more and more cities and towns began banning skateboards, and the fad faded in popularity.

There was a resurgence of interest in skateboarding in 1970, when the first polyurethane wheels hit the market. Offering everything that clay wheels lacked, polyurethane wheels elevated the sport to the point that it became profitable to manufacture skateboard-specific parts, such as trucks and bearings. Boards continued to advance in width and controllability, and now-legendary amateur teams, such as the Hobie Team and the Z-Boys, collected some sponsor support and became cult celebrities.

In 1976, drought struck Southern California, the heart of the skateboarding universe, prompting many local residents to drain their swimming pools. Adventurous adolescent boarders began sneaking into these dry pools and riding in them while their owners were at work. This led to whole new style of riding, based on riding down steep pool walls and then popping up into the air on the opposite side, and led to the entry of "blue tile fever" (the rush experienced when doing this sort of skateboarding) into skater lingo. Unfortunately, this style of riding also lead to far more serious injuries, and nearly all skateboard parks had closed by the 1980's, due to skyrocketing liability and real-estate costs.

By this point, however, skateboard companies had realized that their product was more than just a passing fad. Skate culture was now fully established, and manufacturers began promoting professional teams and national competitions. Boards became further refined, so that now both the tip and tail were raised, allowing the rider to more easily ride switch (that is, with the outside of the foot that does not normally face the direction of travel facing the direction of travel) and perform an "Ollie" (in which the board and rider are launched into the air by depressing the rear of the board and then rapidly transferring a foot to the font). Wheels became smaller and harder, both for better acceleration and to more easily perform "grinds," in which the board is slid across a metal pipe without the wheels rolling as normal.

After many states passed legislation officially calling skateboarding an "inherently dangerous" activity, skateparks were relieved of a great deal of liability, and began to resurface nationwide; in many cases, they replaced empty or neglected plots of land, contributing to urban renewal. With multi-million-dollar support and much fanfare, the X-Games (originally, called the Extreme Games) were launched in 1995 and provided nationwide TV coverage for the sport's highest level of competition. The legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk is now a household name, and his series of "pro-skater" video games has become one of the most successful franchises in electronic entertainment history. Today, with the proliferation of such skateboard spin-offs as Longboards, off-road boards and hinged "snakeboards," it's clear that this former fad is now a fully entrenched part of America's athletic and social culture.

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