Water-saving artificial turf is now commonplace in front yards and sports arenas across the globe. But the humble beginnings of artificial grass looked nothing like the turf of today, and the creation of artificial turf was inspired by a single idea—play.
Let’s take a look at the developing route of artificial grass:
1936
Henry Ford and Edsel Ford established the Ford Foundation with the aim of advancing public welfare in terms of scientific, educational, and charitable initiatives.
Early 1950s
The tufting process, essential to the manufacture of artificial grass, is mechanized and perfected by the carpet industry.
1964
Chemgrass is installed at Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island.
1966
Chemgrass is installed at the Astrodome, and subsequently rebranded as ‘AstroTurf’.
1967
‘AstroTurf’ is patented in the US, and AstroTurf is installed in an outdoor stadium – Memorial Stadium at Indiana State University in Terre Haute – for the first time.
1969
The back yard of the house featured in long-running US TV series The Brady Bunch is covered with AstroTurf.
1970s
Artificial grass begins to be more widely adopted in sports stadiums, initially in North America.
1990s
Artificial grass begins to be used more widely in commercial and residential settings. Artificial grass was introduced to China.
1999
Spain’s Real Madrid CF is the first European football club to install AstroTurf (in their practice fields).
Present-day
The demand for artificial grass continues to grow, and with the development of pioneering technologies. The quality of the grass keeps on getting better and better.
You may be also interested in the article: History of artificial grass in China.