A waffle iron inspired one of the first pairs of Nikes

Bill Bowerman was a track and field coach in the 1950s who couldn't find a running shoe he liked so he created the Cortez shoe but still aspired to create a shoe that was even lighter and that could be used on multiple different kinds of surfaces. In 1970, while having breakfast with his wife, he had the idea of using the waffle texture for the sole of a running shoe. Just two years later, his "waffle sole" shoe debuted in the 1972 U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene.