The first skateboards were made in the 1950s and were used as an exciting activity to participate in when the waves were low. Since then, the sport has changed enormously, thanks to a group of young skateboarders from a Venice Beach slum, or Dog-town as the locals called it, known as the z-boys in the 1970s. Even if skateboarding was already known and invented, it was the z-boys who made skateboarding famous and propelled it to new heights of popularity. But how did they do this? The Z-boys made the sport what it is today and played a very important role in the history and evolution of the style and quality of skateboarding. In the 1950s, when skateboarding first took off, it was a very popular activity to participate in during vacations. to tourist attractions by the ocean, or as an after-surfing activity. However, by 1965, skateboarding's popularity had completely declined, which is why almost all skateboard manufacturers went bankrupt. . At that time, the only people who wanted to ride skateboards were surfers who needed something to ride to practice their surfing while the waves were flat. Since no skateboards were being made or sold, those who wanted to skateboard had to take it upon themselves to make their own boards. Use any type of scrap metal they could find to build a usable board, such as pieces of scrap metal or old boards. These determined surfers had to unscrew the trucks and wheels from the roller skates and attach them to the bottom of their boards. And since these children were mostly from very poor families and had virtually no jobs of their own, they had to secretly remove trucks and roller skate wheels from stores. Although..., clay wheels...... middle of paper......, for the best most would say. But that's part of the culture that Z-boys have created, that they care what other people think. In the end, looking back, the Z-boys were nothing more than a group of awkward friends looking for the next big wave, which changed the world. “Kids took 20th century ruins and made art out of them” (Skip Angblom).Works CitedCave, Steve. The real one from Dog-town and the Zephyr team. Circa February 28, 2014. Web.Peralta, Stacy. Stecyk, Craig. Dog-town and Z-boys. Documentary. January 3, 2001. February 28, 2014. Movie.Stecyk, CR Friedman, Glen. Dogtown: Legend of the Z-boys. Book. 2002. February 28, 2014.book.Fan-based. Zboys.net. 1997. February 28, 2014. Web. Owen, Tony. The Evolution of Skateboarding: A History from Sidewalk Surfing to Stardom. Skateboard Magazine. March 5, 2013. February 28, 2014. Web.