Imagine you’re a tennis player facing a tough opponent. You dart across the court, your racket in the air. Only you’re not wearing sneakers on your feet. You’re wearing a pair of stiff leather shoes with tiny heels!

That’s what many athletes wore in the mid-1800s. Back then, there were no special shoes for sports. That began to change in the 1870s. At that time, a new sport called lawn tennis was becoming popular. Players had to run back and forth across grass courts that were often wet. So they started lacing up a new type of shoe: sneakers!

The first sneakers were made of canvas, a thick fabric used to make a ship’s sails. Their soles, or bottoms, were made from rubber. This tough, flexible material kept tennis players’ feet dry. Plus it was strong enough to handle all the sprinting across the court.

Rubber was not a new material. Indigenous peoples of Brazil and Central America had long worn footwear made of rubber, says Elizabeth Semmelhack. She studies the history of shoes at Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada. “They would drain a sticky liquid called sap from rubber trees and use it to create a form of waterproof footwear.”

Back in 1839, inventor Charles Goodyear added a chemical called sulfur to natural rubber. That kept it from breaking down in very cold and very hot temperatures. By the late 1800s, rubber was being used to make everything from bike tires to car parts to sneaker soles!

You’re a tennis player, racket raised. You dart across the court to hit the ball. Only you’re not wearing sneakers. You’re wearing a pair of stiff leather shoes. They even have tiny heels! 

That’s what many athletes wore in the mid-1800s. There were no special shoes for sports back then. That began to change in the 1870s. A new sport called lawn tennis was growing popular. Players had to run back and forth on grass courts. Often the grass was wet. So they started lacing up a new type of shoe: sneakers!

The first sneakers were made of canvas. This thick fabric was used to make a ship’s sails. The shoes’ soles, or bottoms, were made from rubber. This tough, flexible material kept tennis players’ feet dry. Plus it could handle lots of running across the court.

Rubber was not a new material. Native peoples of Brazil and Central America used it. They’d long worn footwear made of rubber. “They would drain a sticky liquid called sap from rubber trees and use it to create a form of waterproof footwear,” says Elizabeth Semmelhack. She studies the history of shoes. She works at the Bata Shoe Museum. It’s in Toronto, Canada.

Inventor Charles Goodyear improved the material in 1839. He added a chemical called sulfur to natural rubber. That kept it from breaking down if it got very cold and very hot. This rubber was used in many products by the late 1800s. That included bike tires, car parts, and sneaker soles.

Over the years, designers have created sneakers for different sports, from basketball to skateboarding. And sneakers are no longer just for sports. People wear them for all kinds of activities, from running around a track to running errands.

Sneaker collectors wait in long lines for limited editions and trade old, retro styles online. To keep up with demand, companies release sneakers painted by famous artists and designed by fashion icons. What kind of sneakers will you wear next?

Designers have created sneakers for different sports over the years—basketball, skateboarding, you name it. And sneakers are no longer just for sports. People wear them for all kinds of activities. That might mean running around a track or running errands.

Sneaker collectors wait in long lines for limited edition sneakers. They trade old, retro styles online. Companies release sneakers painted by famous artists. Or they release ones designed by fashion icons. People always want the latest and coolest designs. What kind of sneakers will you wear next?