Re: who invented the trampoline

The sports of trampolining and tumbling are as old as man, a reflection of man's desire to defy the ever-pervading presence of gravity.

A number of cultures have devised apparatus to send an athlete into the air i.e. an outstretched animal skin being used to throw up, and safely receive, the descending performer. Circuses have used a number of devices to show off aerial and floor somersault activity.

The word trampoline is Germanic in origin (like trampen = to stamp). It was officially recognized as an English word and included in Webster's Dictionary in 1928. Trampolines and tumbling nets have been used in circuses since the 18th century.

The way the activities are now practised reflect the intrusion, delightful in this instance, of modern technology. Modern trampolining has only emerged in the last 49-50 years from the prototype apparatus built by George Nissen, USA, in his garage in 1936. The Air Force, and later the Space Agencies were not slow to employ trampolines with their pilots and astronauts. Medical authorities and those working with handicapped persons have found many exciting benefits from being able to use a trampoline. At the recreational level trampolining has an immediate appeal, especially for the young people.

Every era produces at least one step forward in the sophistication of a trampoline machine used. The most modern ones are capable of projecting an athlete to such a height that the top stars can touch 10m-high ceilings and perform repetition triple somersaults with ease.

For more information look at:

http://este.darmstadt.gmd.de:5000/misc/tramp/info/develop.html

Some of this information was obtained from INFOPEDIA Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia.

Sincerely, Tom "Cannot Bounce" Cull