One Man's Impact

I was online today and saw a video describing the story behind the addidas shoes company . . . i'll find the video and post it soon. until i get my hands on the video, you can read part of it here on my blog . . .

read it . . . maybe it will challenge you like it did me.


Addidas
1920
Adi Dassler makes his first shoe in his workshop in Herzogenaurach near Nuremberg in Germany. The shoe made of canvas was a training shoe for runners and cost two reichsmarks. Adi Dassler followed three guiding principles in his development work: produce the best shoe for the requirements of the sport, protect the athlete from injury, and make the product durable.

1925
Adi Dassler develops the first special shoes for soccer and track & field. For the first time shoes with studs and spikes are introduced. He also constructs different shoes for the different distances and uses state-of-the-art materials to achieve a saving in weight.

1928
Adi Dassler's shoes are worn at the Olympic Games for the first time. Adi Dassler takes care of "his" athletes in Amsterdam and strives to optimize the respective shoes, working closely with athletes.

1931
Adi Dassler makes his first tennis shoes.

1932
At the Los Angeles Olympic Games Arthur Jonath takes the bronze in the 100 m in Dassler shoes.

1936
The Olympic Games in Berlin are the sporting highlight for Jesse Owens. He sets new bests in almost all of the twelve events in which he competes. The black US-American is the most successful athlete in Berlin, winning four gold medals.

1937
Adi Dassler's range now comprises 30 different shoes for a total of eleven sports.

1946
The first Adi Dassler sports shoes produced after the war are made using canvas and rubber from American fuel tanks.