A basketball player dashes down the court. A runner sprints across the finish line. A kid like you strolls outside on their way to the park. What do these people have in common? They’re all probably wearing sneakers!

Today millions of people of all ages wear these comfortable shoes. You can find sneakers specially designed for every sort of activity in all kinds of fun, colorful styles.

It wasn’t always this way. The first sneakers were created more than 100 years ago. They looked a lot different from the sneakers on your feet today. Over time, engineers have improved the design of sneakers to make them faster, lighter—and cooler looking too!

A basketball player dashes down the court. A runner sprints across the finish line. A kid like you strolls to the park. What do these people have in common? They’re all likely wearing sneakers!

The shoes are amazingly comfy. That’s why today millions of people of all ages wear them. You can find sneakers made for every sort of activity. They come in all kinds of fun, colorful styles.

But it wasn’t always this way. The first sneakers were made more than 100 years ago. They looked a lot different from the ones on your feet today. Engineers worked to improve the design of sneakers over time. They’ve made them faster and lighter. They’re cooler looking too!

Rubber soles cushion the foot. And they create friction, a rubbing force, when in contact with the ground. That helps athletes move without slipping. But rubber is also heavy.

When it comes to running, weight is a big deal, says Geoff Burns. He’s a scientist who works with U.S. Olympic teams. “Cutting the weight by 100 grams—about the weight of a bar of soap—could help athletes run a mile about four seconds faster.” That’s a huge advantage in competitive races!

In 1971, a track-and-field coach named Bill Bowerman had a problem. He had just cofounded a sneaker company called Nike. And he wanted to make a lightweight version of sneakers that had the same cushion and grip as rubber-soled shoes.

One morning, Bowerman was eating a waffle when he got an idea. What if he created rubber sneaker soles with a pattern like a waffle iron? To test the idea, he poured liquid rubber into a waffle iron to create a mold for a new sneaker sole. After several tries, his idea worked! The soles he made had areas that were superthin, which kept the shoe light. The parts with raised squares helped the sole grip the ground.

The design became known as the Waffle Trainer. It was the first big hit from Nike! It kicked off innovations in sole textures that are still happening today. Just look at the bottom of your sneakers!

Rubber soles cushion the foot. And they create friction. It’s a rubbing force against the ground. That helps athletes move without slipping. But rubber is also heavy.

Weight is a big deal when it comes to running, says Geoff Burns. He’s a scientist who works with U.S. Olympic teams. “Cutting the weight by 100 grams, about the weight of a bar of soap, could help athletes run a mile about four seconds faster.” That’s a big gain in races!

Bill Bowerman was a track-and-field coach. He had a problem in 1971. He had just helped start a sneaker company. It was called Nike. He wanted to make lightweight sneakers. But they still needed cushion and grip.

Bowerman was eating a waffle one morning. It gave him an idea. What if rubber sneaker soles had a waffle-like pattern? He poured liquid rubber into a waffle iron. He wanted to make a mold for a new sneaker sole. His idea worked after several tries! The soles he made had thin areas. That kept the shoe light. It also had thicker raised squares. They helped the sole grip the ground.

The design became known as the Waffle Trainer. It was the first big hit from Nike! It kicked off many changes in sole textures. They’re still happening today. Just look at the bottom of your sneakers!

Around the same time, shoe designers were working on a new material for sneaker soles called foam. This rubberlike substance has air blown into it, making it lighter than rubber.

Foam gives runners another big advantage. As a runner presses down on the foam soles, the air pockets in the material squeeze together. The soles absorb the runner’s kinetic energy and change it to potential energy. When the runner lifts their foot, the foam expands, like a spring. It gives the runner a boost of speed!

Asics was the first company to use foam in sneaker soles, in 1967. In 2013, Adidas introduced sneakers with a new type of thick foam that was more bouncy. It gave runners an even bigger boost! Today the soles of most running shoes contain squishy foam.

Shoe designers were working on a new material around the same time. It was called foam. It was a rubberlike substance with air blown into it. It made sneaker soles’ even lighter.

Foam has another benefit. A person’s foot presses down on foam soles as they run. That squeezes the air pockets in the material together. This allows the soles to absorb the runner’s kinetic energy. It changes into potential energy. The foam expands like a spring when the runner lifts their foot. It gives the runner a boost of speed!

Asics was the first company to use foam in sneaker soles in 1967. Adidas made sneakers with a thicker, bouncier foam in 2013. It gave runners an even bigger boost! Today most running shoe soles contain squishy foam.