| Converse is an American shoe company that has been selling shoes since the early 20th century. Marquis M. Converse opened the business in Malden, Massachusetts in 1908, as a rubber shoe manufacturer. Its main turning point came in 1917 when the canvas "All-Star" was introduced. Then in 1918, a basketball player named Charles H. "Chuck" Taylor walked into Converse complaining of sore feet. Converse gave him a job. His work as a salesman and ambassador, promoting the shoes around the United States so impressed Converse that in 1923, Chuck Taylor's name began appearing on the ankle patch, and the shoes became affectionately known as Chucks. He tirelessly continued this work until shortly before his death in 1969. |
