In 1908, Marquis Mills Converse decided to start a rubber shoe company. In 1913, Converse produced a catalog with the following words: "Our company was organized in 1908, fully believing that there was an earnest demand from the retail shoe dealer for a rubber shoe company that would be independent enough not to follow every other company in every thing they do." Those words would prove prophetic. Always a brand for those independent enough not to follow, the young company would take up with a young sport: Basketball. Also, Converse made tires. But the basketball shoes gained more traction. Converse were the first basketball shoes, which appeared on shop shelves in 1917. With the release to market of its shoes Chuck Taylor  All Star, Converse acheived iconic status. Converse are widely recognized as the best trainers in the world, their most famous models of shoes are Converse Chuck Taylor All Star, Jack Purcell and One Star.