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Converse is one fashion brand that has remained relevant over the years. Their signature canvas shoes are a symbol of American style, and while you may know that the brand has been around since the early 1900s... do you know how the company started? Or that the classic Chuck Taylor's are based off a real person? Click through the slideshow to read the 11 things you never knew about Converse.[Photo: Shutterstock]
Converse first started by making men's rubber shoes... aka men's rain boots. It wasn't until 1917 when the company introduced the sneakers that we know and love.
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Someone buys a pair of Converse All Stars every 43 second!
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Make sure to sign up for Converse's membership program! Members get free return shipping, access to exclusive events and promotions, a first look at new product launches and a special birthday offer. Sign up by clicking here.
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Chuck Taylor is a real person. He was a basketball player who worked for Converse in Chicago as a salesman. He sold shoes to to high school and college basketball teams. He was so dedicated to the brand that the company decided to put his name on every pair of sneakers starting in 1932.
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The low-cut Chuck was introduced in 1957.
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Converse will always be the shoe of rock n' roll. The brand has collaborated with: the Grateful Dead, the Doors, Black Sabbath, The Who, Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osbourne, Blondie, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, AC/DC, Metallica, Gorillas, the Edge, Billie Joe Armstrong, and M83. They also did a Ramones edition, a Kurt edition, and a Clash edition!
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Converses were the official training shoes of the U.S. military during World War II.
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Wilt Chamberlain, legendary basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers, wore Chucks when he scored 100 points during a game on March 2, 1962. Why aren't Converse sneakers the official shoe of the NBA?!
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Converse sneakers got their ventilation eyelets in 1932. As gross as this may sound, we're pretty thankful because before this invention, the shoes left your feet all stuffy and sweaty. #blessed
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There's a man in Florida, named Penny Gold, who holds the Guinness World Record for owning the most pair of Converse shoes in the world. He owned 733 pairs of Chucks as of 2013.
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For Converse made a pair of kicks with a stars and stripes design for their 75th anniversary, which was donated to the Smithsonian (the nation's largest repository of its history) in 1992.
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