The second wave - at least in California - began in the 1970s, and was driven by two factors: 1) better technology (flexible, light-weight boards and polyurethane wheels); 2) a drought, which turned many a private swimming pool into the ideal grounds for skating.
Regards,
yes... i have to say, here in California, it has always seemed popular... i went to elementary school with Steve Caballero...
I hadn’t even thought of the droughts, but that is probably true. Here in Northern California, we’re in yet another drought. Many folks are just giving up with maintaining a lawn. Not when watering the lawn can get you reported, ticketed, fined and sent to Water School for offenders. Yes, that’s a real thing now; “Water School” to learn you right!
“The first wave of popularity of the skateboard might have been in the 1950s and 1960s “
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As a child of the 50s, born in 1944, I can not remember EVER seeing a skateboard. We did, however, have roller-skates.
I do not remember when I first saw, or heard of a skateboard.
I never saw or heard of them at university in the 60s.
I was lucky enough to have a great conversation with Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean. They had a whole lot to do with popularizing the skateboard through their song “Sidewalk Surfin’”. A skateboard company made boards with their likenesses and Dean did skateboard tricks during their concerts. At the time we chatted (the late ‘90s), skateboards were MASSIVE business, as they are today. Dean said he and Jan would probably have made multi millions if they’d become even just a little more involved on the business end. But, at the time, the fun of it was everything.
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........
More specifically, ours c.1960 were 2x4s (now that's inflexible!) with metal shoe-skate wheels nailed on. Every single sidewalk crack was terrifying! After giving them a good try, we bandaged up our elbows, knees, and chins and pretty much went back to our nonstop baseball/tackle-football/basketball/track-and-field/boxing/rockfights.
“The first wave of popularity of the skateboard might have been in the 1950s and 1960s - with heavy, inflexible wooden boards and metal wheels.”
Not metal. We used old wheels from skate rinks.