1906 – Rihachi Mizuno and his younger brother Rizo found Mizuno Brothers Ltd. in Osaka. The shop sells western sundries, including baseballs.

1907 – Sales of order-made Mizuno athletic wear begin.

1910 – The shop moves to Umeda Shinmichi in Osaka and its name is changed to Mizuno Shop.

1911 – Mizuno Shop sponsors Osaka Jitsugyo Baseball Championship (predecessor of todays Inter-City Baseball Competition).

1912 – Opened a branch in Tokyo. Yahiko Mishima qualifies second for the 400 m dash at Stockholm, the first Olympics for Japanese athletes.

1913 – Mizuno Shop begins to manufacture Baseballs and gloves.

1916 - Mizuno shop sponsors the Tokyo Jitsugyo Baseball Championship.

1918 – Mizuno begins to sell a variety of products under distinctive names, including over sweaters, cutter shirts, boston bags and run-pants.

1919 – Mizuno sponsors the Tokyo Jitsugyo Tennis Championship.

1923 – Started development of domestic skis. Changed organization to Mizuno Sporting Goods Company, Ltd.

1927 – New headquarters building is completed in Yodoyabashi, Osaka. The first amateur ski clubs are organised in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. Hickory skis go on sale.

1929 – Rihachi Mizuno visits Europe and the United States.

1933 – Star Line, the first Japanese made golf clubs, go on sale.

1935 – Golf club showroom is expanded to become the world’s largest.

1936 – Production of gliders starts in commemoration of the companys 30th anniversary.

1940 – Mizuno’s type 301 Soarer glider sets new records for altitude and flight duration.

1942 – Company name is changed to Mizuno.co.ltd.

1957 – Mizuno develops and patents an injection-molded, compressed plastic bat

1962 – Mizuno backs a TV programme to increase the number of skiing enthusiasts.

1970 – Mizuno founder Rihachi Mizuno dies and is inducted into the Baseball Hall of fame.

1974 – Skiing and Golf TV shows sponsored solely by Mizuno begin.

1977 – Mizuno golf clubs are enshrined in the American Golf Hall of Fame. Hisako Higuchi becomes the first Japanese to win the LPGA Championship. TV variety show sponsored soley by Mizuno.

1981 – Mizuno RunBird Co.Ltd is established.

1983 – RunBird athletic running shoes go on sale.

1984 – Kenjiro Mizuno is awarded the Légion d'honneur and the Olympic Order.

1986 – Started golf workshop activities in Europe.

1987 – Contracted with athlete Carl Lewis.

1988 – All Blacks rugby team signs Mizuno as a supplier.

1990 – Contract with tennis player Ivan Lendl.

1991 – Contract with golfer Nick Faldo. Mizuno Sports Mentor Award and Sportswriter Award are established. Carl Lewis made a new world record in the mens 100m sprint, using Mizuno running spikes.

1992 – Began working seriously on Project Crew 21, Mizuno’s environmental conservation activities. (CREW 21 = Conservation of Resources and Environment Wave). Athletes using Mizuno products at the Barcelona Olympics won 72 medals.

1994 – Mizuno develops the innovative heat-generating material Breath Thermo jointly with Toyobo. It is used in the official uniforms worn by the Japanese delegation to the Lillehammer Winter Olympics.

1995 – Changed local corporations Mizuno UK and Mizuno Germany to branches.

1996 – Mizuno website goes online.

1997 – Developed Wave, new-function running shoes with improved steadiness and cushioning. As of December,  two kinds of products were sold featuring the same functions in Japan, U.S. and Europe.

1998 – Baseball glove maker Tsubota receives Contemporary Master Craftsman award. Mizuno creates a seperate label for its environmentally friendly products. 3 products are included: running shoes using man-made leather made from recycled PET bottles, golf grips made from used rubber, and walking shoes made from used tire rubber.

1999 – Started production on consignment of sportswear made of completely recyclable nylon 6 used in the Nagano Winter Olympics.

2000 – Mizuno becomes a main sponsor for the Amsterdam Marathon and the Jungfrau Marathon. Mizuno signs to supply shoes to New Zealand’s Wallabies Rugby team. Products incorporating Ice Touch cooling fabric become a big hit.

2001 – Mizuno supplies uniforms for the Japan track and field team.

2003 – Kostelic Brother-Sister (Croatia) wearing Mizuno racing suits produce a good performance in Alpine Skiing.

2004 – Argentine soccer star Pablo Aimar signs with Mizuno as an advisor.

2005 – Judo wear bears the Mizuno RunBird logo. Team Mizuno Athletic is launched. Mizuno signs contract with Chinas Liaoning table tennis team.

2006 – Celebrated 100 year anniversary and held a sports symposium Sports for All Children and sports clinics.

2007 – Brand unification to MRB (Mizuno Runbird). Mizuno becomes a main sponsor for the Grand Toulouse Marathon and the Kosice Marathon. Mizuno swim wear debuted. Mizuno supports the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Osaka as the Official Partner.

2008 – Tirunesh Dibaba crossed the finish line of the women’s 5,000m in a record breaking time of just 14 minutes 11.15 seconds. She also won Olympic Gold in the women’s 5,000m and 10,000m in Beijing. Mizuno becomes a main sponsor for the Vienna Marathon.

2009 – Mizuno becomes a main sponsor for both the Barcelona and Milan Marathons.

Our full range of running shoes can also be found at our sister site, Return2Fitness > > > http://www.return2fitness.co.uk/Running/Running_Shoes