Nike Air Max Day is Sunday. Here's how the huge sneaker holiday, known for hyped drops, got its start.

• Nike Air Max Day is one of the highly anticipated days on the sneaker calendar.
• It launched in 2014, and Nike has released sneakers from its Air Max vault to mark the occasion every year.

Nike Air Max Day, one of the highly anticipated days on the sneaker calendar, is on Sunday.

The event celebrates all things Air Max, a Nike sneaker franchise that dates back nearly four decades.

The day itself, March 26, marks the anniversary of the debut of the Air Max 1 in 1987. Nike historian emeritus Scott Reames told Insider the day also is the anniversary of Nike's controversial "Revolution" commercial, which aired on television, during "The Cosby Show."

The ad featured Nike athletes, including Michael Jordan, and introduced the visible air cushioning of the Air Max 1 to the masses.

Nike launched Air Max Day in 2014, and has released sneakers from its Air Max vault to mark the occasion every year. It has also introduced new silhouettes such as the Nike VaporMax on Air Max day and released new collaborations with companies like Atmos and Clot.

This Sunday, two planned releases are the original Air Max 1 "Big Bubble" and a brand new silhouette for Gen Z, the Air Max Pulse.

Legendary Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, who designed the Air Max 1, has made the rounds this week talking about the sneaker, including on Nike's SNKRS Live program.

Nike has a large catalog of classic Air Max sneakers released throughout its history, including the Air Max 97, Air Max 95, and Air Max 90.

Sneaker collectors are known to celebrate the day by wearing their favorite Air Max sneakers and posting photos of them online.