
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

29. The Initial Prototype Had A Steel Shank

28. The Cathedral of Notre Dame Inspired the Midsole Design

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

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

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

24. The DCEC Commitee Helped Inspire The Air Force 1

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

22. They Were The First Nike Air Basketball Sneaker

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

20. The Air Force 1 Was The First Retro Sneaker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

12. The Ankle Strap Was Officially Called A Proprioceptic Belt

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

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

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

8. Bruce Kilgore Still Works For Nike

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

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

5. Kobe Bryant Wore Them In An NBA Game

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

3. The Air Force 1 Inspired A Whiter White

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

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