Innovator George Nissen: Iowa Time Machine March 6, 1945

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On March 6, 1945, American gymnast and trampoline inventor George Nissen received a patent for the first modern trampoline. An iconic Iowa athlete and inventor, Nissen left a legacy of high-flying innovation over a life of developing and advancing an Olympic sport.

Nissen showed proficiency in gymnastics from a young age. As a 16-year-old student at Cedar Rapids Washington High School, Nissen attended a 1930 circus where he watched acrobats jumping into a safety net, and a great idea was planted. A stellar gymnast, Nissen won three NCAA national championships during his collegiate years at the University of Iowa, and he began developing a “tumbling device.” Working with his coach, Larry Griswold, Nissen built a prototype from an iron frame, a canvas bed, and rubber springs.

Following college, Nissen toured Mexico while performing at fairs and carnivals. During the tour, Nissen heard the Spanish word for springboard, trampolin, and the name stuck. Following a trademark of ‘trampoline’ upon his return to the States, Nissen and Griswold started the Griswold-Nissen Trampoline & Tumbling Company in Cedar Rapids in 1941.

After gaining use in the United States Army Air Force pilot training during World War II, Nissen received his first patent for the device. 44 more patents would follow, and Nissen toured the globe tirelessly to promote his invention and the gymnastic sport of trampolining. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 86-year-old Nissen watched as trampolining made its Olympic debut. #Iowa #OTD #History #Trampoline #Innovation