Timeline
1920
Adolf and brother Rudolf make their first shoe.
1924
The brothers found Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (“Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory”).
1928
Dassler shoes are worn at the Olympics for the first time, with German 800 meter runner Lina Radke-Batschauer becoming the first athlete to win gold in Dassler shoes
1931
The company releases the first shoe marketed specifically for tennis.
1936
Jesse Owens makes history at the Berlin Olympics, winning four gold medal
1948
Adidas Sportsschuhfabrik was registered
1951
adidas buys the three-stripe trademark from Finnish brand Karhu, reportedly for two bottles of whisky and the equivalent of $1,800. Previous Dassler shoes had featured two, three, and four support stripes. Jesse Owens wore two-striped Dassler shoes at the 1936 Olympics.
1954
adidas football cleats with screw-in studs
1965
The brand releases a leather tennis shoe named after French player Robert Haillet.
1968
the Superstar Launched.
1978
Adolf Dassler dies on September 6, aged 77.
1980
Adidas releases the Campus sneaker.
1968 - Copy
the Superstar Launched.