The first refined skateboard came out around 1963 or 64. It was a hard, inflexible board and the wheels were stone (or something like that) on an axle that allowed the wheels to turn in response to the left or right weighting on the board.
My uncle gave me one for my birthday. Unfortunately I lived out in the country where it was all hills and the law of gravity was not to be violated without serious consequences......
It wasn't until later years they started making safety equipment such as knee and elbow pads, wrist guards and helmets..........After a couple of high speed serious wipeouts on the hilly roads, I threw the board away........
“The first refined skateboard came out around 1963 or 64. It was a hard, inflexible board and the wheels were stone (or something like that) on an axle that allowed the wheels to turn in response to the left or right weighting on the board.”
We made our own boards. Laminating them for texture and color. Stained and varnished ... NEVER painted. We got our wheels from the local roller skating rink. I don’t remember what the material was but it was not stone.