No. 358 - Chuck Taylors

I was standing in my driveway today with my dad who commented to my son that his sneakers were cool. I said that they were Chuck Taylors. My dad asked what they were. I said, you know, the Converse All-Stars sneaker. My dad asked why I called them Chuck Taylors. I said because that's whose name is written on the patch on the ankle. My dad asked who Chuck Taylor was. I didn't know. So I grabbed my droid and googled it.

We learned that Charles "Chuck" Taylor (1901 – 1969), was an American basketball player and shoe salesman. He is best known for his association with the Converse All-Stars sneaker, the most successful selling basketball shoe in history.

We also learned that the Converse All-Stars shoe, one of the first specially designed for playing basketball, was introduced in the 1910s. Taylor started wearing them in 1917 as a high school basketball player. In 1921, Taylor went to the Chicago Converse Shoes sales offices in search of a job, and was hired. Within a year, Taylor's suggestions of changing the design of the shoe to provide enhanced flexibility and support, and also including a patch to protect the ankle, were adopted. The All-Stars star logo was then immediately included on the patch. By 1923 Chuck Taylor's name was added to the patch, and the shoe became the Chuck Taylor All-Stars.

My son has a black pair of Chucks. I liked them so much, I got myself a matching pair :)