Chickens
After observing chickens walking around in his yard, William J. Riley became inspired by their perfect balance on their three-toed-feet and founded the New Balance Arch Support Company in 1906. The company started with selling arch support for those who had to stand for long periods. It didn’t take long, or firemen and police officers were walking around with Riley’s arch support. In 1956 Riley’s salesman Arthur Hall sold the company to his daughter and her husband. After an increasing demand from athletes to produce sneakers, the New Balance Trackster was released in 1961. What distinguished these sneakers from others was that they contained a ripple sole and were available in different widths. In 1972 the company was acquired by Jim Davis and this marked the start of New Balance becoming one of the biggest sneakers brands on the globe.