On the Edge: Surfing, Skateboarding and Technology Converge in California
Links between technological innovations in three of the Golden State’s quintessential sports — surfing, swimming and skateboarding — helped cement California’s impact on global culture.
A surfer suspended on a wave and a skateboarder soaring midair above concrete are both iconic symbols of California cool. But these gravity-defying feats are also emblematic of the state’s legacy of innovation, says Peter Westwick, professor of the practice of Thematic Option and history, whose upcoming book explores California’s technological achievements.