Sharing Parental Experiences

One of the most common items that children use to have fun is the trampoline. At its essence, this is an apparatus that is composed of of a thick and tight fabric, typically called a bounce mat, which is stretched over a steel frame. The fabric is held by coiled springs which are the main components for the trampoline’s bounce. Today, the trampoline is not merely a children’s toy but is also utilized for fitness and sports.

Believe it or not, trampolines are also used as training equipment for pilots and astronauts. During the second World War, the United States Navy Flight School utilized trampolines to enable pilots and navigators practice spatial orientation and experience its effects before flying an actual airplane. Additionally, after the war, the Americans and Soviets utilized trampolines to help train their astronauts and cosmonauts, respectively about the varied body positions in space flight.

But how did these excellent devices start out? Historical evidence reveal that the thought of bouncing people up in the air might have its origins from the Inuit people. In the past, as a recreational or practical activity, they would toss each other in air using a piece of walrus skin just like the life nets used by present-day fire-fighters to safely catch people escaping from burning buildings. Other documents also points out that the trampoline’s initial ideas might have originated in Europe where people would use a very tight blanket to toss people in the air.

While the ideas mentioned above may not be the precursors to the trampolines we know today, it was evidenced in the first few years of the 20th century that acrobatic performers utilized a springy bed during their acts to amaze their audiences. The bed was actually a simple trampoline, a frame covered with bedclothes.

It was only in 1936 when the contemporary trampoline was built by University of Iowa gymnasts George Nissen and Larry Griswold. They noticed in circuses that trapeze artists utilized a stretched net to catch their fall. Nissen and Griswold then came up with an innovative They stretched a piece of canvas, sewed grommets along each side, then affixed the canvas to an angle iron frame with metal springs. The device was first used as a tumbler’s training device, however, in time, it became famous in its own right. The trampoline was born.