30 Things You Didn't Know About The Air Force 1

Happy 30th birthday to the AF1.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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This week, the Nike Air Force 1 turned 30, and Nike celebrated with the release of the Lunar Force 1, a technological update with the same form as the original. The 2012 creation is lighter and more breathable, but at its heart it's still an Air Force 1. Thirty years after its introduction, Bruce Kilgore's groundbreaking design is still breaking new ground. And the full story still has yet to be told. Check out 30 Things You Didn't Know About The Air Force 1.

[Based in part on original interviews with Bruce Kilgore, Tinker Hatfield, Tracy Teague, Richard Clarke, and Sandy Bodecker]

30. Designer Bruce Kilgore Also Helped Design The K-Car

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29. The Initial Prototype Had A Steel Shank

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28. The Cathedral of Notre Dame Inspired the Midsole Design

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27. The Air Force 1 Was One Of The First Cupsole Basketball Shoes

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26. The Air Force 1 Got Tinker Hatfield Into Sneaker Design

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25. The Original Air Force 1 Design Featured A Mesh Toebox

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24. The DCEC Commitee Helped Inspire The Air Force 1

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23. They're Named After The President's Plane

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22. They Were The First Nike Air Basketball Sneaker

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21. There Was Initially Another Designer Before Bruce Kilgore Started Working On It

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20. The Air Force 1 Was The First Retro Sneaker

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19. Bruce Kilgore Was Designing the Air Force 1 and Sock Racer Simultaneously

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18. The Original Nike Air Force 1 Was Released In 1982 and Discontinued in 1984

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17. The Ankle Strap Was Made Removable Because Some Weartesters Didn't Like It

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16. The Air Force 1 Was Weartested in Exeter, The Original Research Lab at Nike

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15. The Air Force 1 Design Was Inspired By Hiking Boots

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14. The Air Force 1 Was The First Sneaker NBA Players Had Trouble Destroying

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13. The First Air Force 1s Were High Top Only

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12. The Ankle Strap Was Officially Called A Proprioceptic Belt

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11. When They Gave Out Weartest Samples, People Refused To Give Them Back

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10. The Air Force 1 Wasn't The First Sneaker Called "Uptowns"

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9. Bruce Kilgore Worked Alongside Nike's First Employee, Jeff Johnson

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8. Bruce Kilgore Still Works For Nike

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7. The Air Force 1 Was The First Nike Sneaker at 4-Digit Prices

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6. Nike Created The Air Force 1, But The People Made It

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5. Kobe Bryant Wore Them In An NBA Game

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4. The "Pivot Point" Was the First Of Its Kind

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3. The Air Force 1 Inspired A Whiter White

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2. There Are Nearly 2,000 Versions Of The Air Force 1

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1. The Air Force 1 Is The Best-Selling Athletic Shoe In History

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