Who Came Up With The Idea Of The Trampoline
One of the most common items that young children use to have fun is the trampoline. In its most basic sense, this is a device that is composed of of a durable and tight fabric, generally called a bounce mat, which is stretched over a metal frame. The fabric is held by coiled springs which are the primary factors of the trampoline’s bounce. Presently, the trampoline is not merely a kiddie toy but is also utilized for fitness and sports.
It’s hard to believe but trampolines are often used as training apparatuses for aircraft pilots and astronauts. During World War 2, the US Navy Flight School utilized trampolines to allow aviators and navigators practice spatial orientation and experience its effects before flying a real airplane. In addition, by the war’s end, the Americans and Soviets utilized trampolines to help train their astronauts about the various body positions during space flight.
But how did these wonderful devices start out? Historical evidence reveal that the concept of bouncing people up in the air might have its beginnings from the Inuit. Hundreds of years ago, as a recreational or practical activity, they would toss each other in air using a piece of walrus skin just like the life nets used by today’s fire-fighters to safely catch people leaping out of buildings on fire. Other proofs also points out that the apparatus’s initial ideas may have come from Europe where people would use a very tight blanket to toss people in the air.
While the above ideas may not be the precursors to the trampolines we are familiar with at present, it was evidenced in the first few years of the 20th century that acrobatic performers utilized a bouncy bed during their acts to amaze their audiences. The bed was actually a simple trampoline, a frame covered with bedclothes.
It was only in 1936 when the modern-day trampoline was conceptualized by University of Iowa gymnasts George Nissen and Larry Griswold. They observed in circuses that trapeze artists use a stretched net to catch their fall. Nissen and Griswold then came up with an innovative They stretched a piece of canvas, sewed grommets on each side, then affixed the canvas to an angle iron frame with metal springs. The item was first designed as a tumbler’s training device, however, in time, it became widely known in its own right. The trampoline was born.
