Adidas was founded on August 18, 1949, by Adolf "Adi" Dassler in Herzogenaurach, Germany. The company started with just 47 employees in the small Franconian town. Before the founding of Adidas, Adi Dassler had been operating a shoe company with his brother Rudolf called "Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik" since 1924, but the brothers split in 1948, leading Adi to register the Adidas brand the following year. The brand gained worldwide fame quickly, especially after the German national football team won the 1954 World Cup wearing Adidas shoes with innovative screw-in studs. This marked the beginning of Adidas as a global sportswear company.
