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Nike LDV with "waffle" sole

National Museum of American History

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Object Details

Nike, Inc.
Description
The modern running shoe took shape in the 1960s and 1970s, when running enthusiasts at shoe companies started experimenting with improved designs. In 1972, Bill Bowerman applied for a patent on “an athletic shoe suitable for use on artificial turf . . . the sole has short multi-sided polygon shaped studs. . . which provide gripping edges that give greatly improved traction.” The sole’s design was inspired by his wife’s waffle iron which Bill subsequently ruined while using it to form his experimental rubber soles. Bowerman received his shoe patent number 3,793,750 on February 26, 1974 and Nike began producing the “waffle” trainers the same year.
This example is a Nike LDV (Long Distance Vector ) shoe in blue suede and nylon mesh fabric upper with the orange Nike "Swoosh" on left and right sides of the shoe. The shoe is covered by two of Bowerman's US patents: 3,793,750 (1974) and 4,098,011 (1978). The patent numbers appear on the bottom of the sole. In the later patent the original "waffle" shoe was modified to address some weaknesses in the earlier design including undue wear of the sole and lateral instability.
ca 1979
ID Number
2014.3088.01
catalog number
2014.3088.01
nonaccession number
2014.3088
patent number
4098011
3793750
Object Name
shoes, pair of
Physical Description
suede (overall material)
nylon (overall material)
plastic (overall material)
rubber (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 5 1/4 in x 9 1/2 in x 13 5/8 in; 13.335 cm x 24.13 cm x 34.6075 cm
place made
United States
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Medicine
Health & Medicine
American Enterprise
Exhibition
American Enterprise
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_1413776
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ad-5cba-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

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