Adidas turns 65 years old today, and the German athletic brand is still churning out sneakers, apparel, and sports gear. After more than six decades in the game, adidas has amassed a huge history. And with the recent addition of Pharrell, Kanye, and Nigo to the brand's roster, there's newfound interest in the product, too.
To catch you up to speed, we compiled a list of things you should know about adidas but might not. To test your knowledge or learn a thing or two, check out 50 Things You Didn't Know About adidas.
1. The Stan Smith wasn't always called the Stan Smith.
2. The Micropacer was the first sneaker to have computer technology.
3. There was a place called "adidas Park" in Boston, and you couldn't wear anything but the brand there.
4. adidas wasn't the original name of the brand.
5. Adi Dassler's early designs were of track spikes.
6. Run DMC was given its endorsement deal after a performance at Madison Square Garden.
7. Russell Simmons came up with the idea for "My Adidas" after smoking angel dust.
8. The Three Stripes are the most recognizable aspect of an adidas sneaker, but they were put there for function.
9. The Trefoil logo is over 40 years old, but it's more than just a logo. It has a meaning.
10. Jeremy Scott has a full line with adidas Originals, but he worked with the brand way before that launched.
11. adidas successfully sued Payless for $305M in 2008.
12. The Superstar isn't the brand's best-selling sneaker.
13. adidas gave signature sneakers to BMX riders Dave Mirra and Ryan Nyquist in the '90s and early '00s.
14. Nike tried to stop adidas from selling its Primeknit sneakers in 2012.
15. Adi Dassler almost didn't make sneakers.
16. adidas didn't become "adidas" until 1949.
17. adidas is the parent company to Reebok, Rockport, and Taylor Made.
18. adidas almost went bankrupt in the early '90s.
19. The Superstar isn't just an iconic part of hip-hop, but it was also a first in basketball, too.
20. Michael Jordan almost signed with adidas, but he also wore the brand back in high school.
21. Jesse Owens wore adidas track shoes to win gold in the 1936 Olympics.
22. The adidas EQT series was seen as a status symbol.
23. The Superstar was a popular skate shoe in the '90s.
24. Matt Bonner landed his sneaker deal with adidas thanks to a Twitter conversation.
25. adidas' Tubular technology is actually inspired by car tires.
26. Horst Dassler convinced Olympian Mark Spitz to hold a pair of adidas Gazelles in his hand as advertisement.
27. World War II might have caused the split between Adi Dassler and his brother, Rudolph.
28. There was an adidas "Jeans" sneaker, but it wasn't made of denim.
29. The original Superstars weren't made in Germany, but France.
30. adidas is currently the global leader in the soccer market.
31. adidas invented the adilette sandal to protect German soccer players from dirty showers.
32. Peter Moore, the man who designed the Air Jordan 1, also designed something for adidas.
33. The Three Stripes used to belong to another European sneaker brand to adidas' north.
34. There was an adidas Kobe III, but it never got released.
35. The University of Michigan has adidas' full attention.
36. Derrick Rose, adidas' highest-paid athlete, wouldn't mind collaborating with Kanye West.
37. adidas' HQ in Herzogenaurach, Germany had a previous life.
38. The ZX 8000 was the first adidas sneaker to use Torsion technology
39. The Samba wasn't designed as an "indoor soccer shoe," it has a deeper history.
40. A former adidas CEO was related to a Seinfeld cast member.
41. adidas launched a program to sell $1 sneakers in India in 2011.
42. If you ask someone outside of the U.S. to pronounce ZX they'll say....
"Zed X," not "ZX." That's because the letter Z is pronounced differently in England. It's not just a different nickname for the sneaker. So, you can call them the Zed X Flux and not be wrong.