Early History
The history of the trampoline can be traced all the way back to archaeological drawings in ancient China, Egypt and Persia. The first kind of trampolining was done by the Eskimos. They used to throw each into the air on a Walrus skin, somewhat similar to the sheet used by firemen for catching people who have to jump out the windows of buildings that are on fire.
The Advancement
The first modern trampoline was built in 1934 by George Nissen and Larry Griswold. They both attended the University of Iowa: George Nissen was a diving and gymnastic competitor and Larry Griswold was a tumbler on the gymnastics team. They observed trapeze artists who used a tight net to add more value and excitement to their performances. The two men took a piece of canvas and experimented by stretching it to an angle iron frame by using coiled springs. This invention was initially used to train tumblers; however it became increasingly popular as a separate activity. George Nissen took a demonstration tour in Mexico during the 1930's and heard the word 'trampoline', meaning diving board. Soon after, in 1942, The Griswold-Nissen Trampolining & Tumbling Company was started and began producing trampolines commercially.
Usefulness
The industry grew rapidly during World War 2 when trampolines became a vital part of physical training programmes. They were used to teach pilots aerial awareness and navigation, giving them practice in orientation that had never been possible before. The Navy selected trampolining as one of the twelve activities to add to the aims of the Naval Aviation training. The mental and physical conditioning for an aviation cadet was improved through trampolining as it was implemented into the training. At three Naval Pre-Flight schools, thousands of cadets would take part in trampoline training. During the development of the space flight programme after the war, NASA brought the trampoline into use to help train American and Soviet astronauts, giving them significant experience of unpredictable body positions during flight.
Landmark Events
In 1936 trampoline history took major turn when George Nissen invented the portable trampoline, contributing to the growth of trampoline jumping as a competitive event. Another landmark event in the history of the trampoline was when the first Trampoline World Championships were held in 1964. In the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, trampoline history was made again with its debut as an Olympic sport.
Jump onto the Bandwagon
For almost 70 years the trampoline has had a positive impact in several areas of society. The trampoline has definitely proved that it can be a valuable service to the human body, including for gymnasts, pilots, navigators and astronauts who require a more strenuous exercise regime. Today rebounding exercises are proving to be highly effective and physical trainers and physical education instructors alike are using trampolines as part of overall fitness programmes. People from around the world now enjoy using the trampoline and reaping the many benefits that come from simply playing around on it as well.
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