Skateboarding has a long history. The first skateboards were invented in the USA in the 1950s. At that time, people made their own skateboards. By 1959, you could buy skateboards in stores. The new skateboards were an easy and fun way to travel around in the streets. Then, in the 1960s, skateboarding became popular with surfers in California. They built ramps to skate on when the waves were too small for surfing. They also skated in empty swimming pools. The curved walls of the swimming pools were perfect for doing stunts.