Skateboarding, as we know it, was probably born sometime in the late 1940s, or early 1950s, when surfers in California wanted something to do when the waves were flat.
This was called "sidewalk surfing" – a new wave of surfing on the sidewalk as the sport of surfing became highly popular.
No one knows who made the first board; it seems that several people came up with similar ideas at around the same time.
The first manufactured skateboards were ordered by a Los Angeles, California surf shop, meant to be used by surfers in their downtime.
The shop owner, Bill Richard, made a deal with the Chicago Roller Skate Company to produce sets of skate wheels, which they attached to square wooden boards.
Accordingly, skateboarding was originally denoted "sidewalk surfing" and early skaters emulated surfing style and manoeuvres, and performed barefoot.
