What Was the First Sneaker Brand?

Converse and Keds are the two earliest noted and still extant sneaker brands; Converse created rubber soled athletic shoes in 1908, 8 years before Keds made its debut in 1916. However, according to a 2010 article from 'The New York Times,' there is evidence that rubber soled athletic shoes existed as early as the 1830s, though they may not have been mass manufactured under a single brand name.