How the skateboard became a ‘perfected design’

The skateboard has had a wild ride. From its DIY beginnings in the 1950s to its counterculture heyday in the ’80s and ’90s to its inclusion in the 2020 Summer Olympics, skateboarding has been variously considered a sport, a scourge, and a business. Throughout that time, the skateboard itself has undergone a similarly remarkable physical transformation, changing shape with new materials, new uses, and new cultural associations. The evolution of the skateboard’s design is the subject of...