Have you ever wondered how the trampoline ever came to be? Such a simple piece of equipment that doesn't have a lot of moving parts. There are several theories as to how the trampoline was invented. The purpose of this article is to provide you with some insight as to how the trampoline came about and some of the accomplishments made because of it.

Walrus Skins

The idea of having fun by being bounced into the air was created by the Inuit People of Alaska. They used a piece of walrus skin to be held by several people in much the same way as firemen would hold blankets or a sheet to catch people jumping from buildings. This was thought to be the first form of trampolining.

Bouncing Bed

There has been some evidence of people from England in the beginning of the 20th century that used blankets to toss people into the air. This could have been trampolining in it's infancy. It has also been said that some circus acts used a "bouncing bed". It was said to be a small trampoline covered with bedclothes to which was used to amuse audiences during their acrobatic comedy routines.

Circus

A circus artist by the name of Du Trampolin was said to have developed the first trampoline as we know it. He used what most trapeze artists use, which is the safety net. He used the safety net as a way to propel a person as well as provide a safe landing area too. Through a testing process he reduced the size of the net to make it more practical for his use. This could be all a myth about Du Trampolin for there is no evidence that can be documented.

Diving Board

In 1934 the first trampoline as we know it was built by George Nissen who was a gymnastics and diving competitor and Larry Griswold who was a tumbler on the gymnastic team, both at the University of Iowa, USA. While observing trapeze artists using a net stretched tight to add to the value of their performance, they came up with the idea of a piece of canvas stretched around an angle iron frame to which they attached coiled springs that were inserted into grommets on the canvas and to the angle iron. The word trampoline in Spanish means diving board. Griswold and Nissen created the Griswold - Nissen Trampoline and Tumbling Company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1942.

World War II

During the second World War the United States Navy Flight School used the trampoline to train their pilots and navigators. The use of the trampoline was again used in training American and Soviet astronauts during the first years of the space program.