In response to a 'need for speed' request from athletes, British businessman Joseph William Foster made some of the first known running shoes with spikes on their soles. This was early 1890s and less than five years later he was making shoes by hand for top runners, eventually developing a client base of professional atheletes from all over the world. Today, what started as a family owned business is now an internationally renowned footwear brand. With its huge cult following Reebok has appeared on TV, in cinemas, on and off the sporting field and on the feet of countless musicians and singers.