Evolution of the Roller Skate & Skating…
Roller skates can be traced back as early as the 1700s. During that time, ice skating was used as a method to travel during the winter months in the Netherlands due to the many rivers, canals, and lakes. An unknown inventor from Holland wanted to go ice skating in the summer, which was impossible without the ice. Being the creative person that he was, this Dutchman decided to skate on land surfaces. His method was to nail wooden spools to strips of wood then attach the spools to his shoes. His invention was given the nickname “Skeelers” and this man was most probably the first inventor of the first inline roller skate. The name skeeler is still around today used in the Dutch language—the translation an ‘inline skater.’
John Joseph Merlin, pictured left, was the next person to
bring roller skates into the spotlight. Born September 17, 1735 in Huys,
Belgium, John Joseph Merlin was in his mid twenties living when he became the
first recorded person to invent roller skates. Merlin’s design for his skate was
a plate made of metal, with two wheels attached underneath, which
attached to his shoes using leather
straps. Merlin worked in Paris as a mathematical-instrument maker, constructing
clocks and other intricate machines when he was a young man. Then in 1760,
Merlin was recognized as a genius and a mechanical prodigy, brought to England
by the Spanish Ambassador. Merlin ran with a fast crowd! Merlin wore his
version of roller skates to a socialites’ masquerade party held at the
Carlisle-House in London. Disaster struck, when Merlin playing a violin and
awkwardly skating around the ballroom in his wheel rigged shoes lost control and
fell—severely injuring himself, destroying his violin, and got seven years bad
luck for the mirror he skating through!
Despite his accident with his invention of roller skates, Merlin was a genius! The following is a partial list of John Joseph Merlin’s accomplishments.
- Produced museum quality clocks and watches
- Built a ‘perpetual motion machine’
- Built wheel chairs & weighing machines
- Made robots
- Invented a barrel organ
- Improved string instruments
- Patented the compound harpsichord
- First recorded person to invent roller skates
Unfortunately, Merlin’s accident didn’t help promote roller skating which disappeared from the limelight until 1790, when a Parisian medal-cutter named Vanlede came up with his version of a roller skate. He called it; “Patin-a-terre” which translated means ground skate.
In 1818, Berlin ballet dancers portrayed ice skating by using roller skates in a production of Winter Pleasures.
The first roller skate was patented in France in 1819 by a
man named Petitbled. Considered the father of the inline skate, Petitbled’s
skate, pictured right, has a straight line of wheels that were attached to a wooden sole. The wheels
were made of wood, metal or ivory and referred to as rollers.
Petitbled’s sales pitch, he claimed his skate
could do anything an ice skate could do.
The
next skate to be patented on April 22, 1823 was the “volito”, pictured left,
invented by Robert John Tyers. Tyers made his living as a fruit merchant in
Piccadilly, London. He rockered his 5-wheeled skate by putting wheels of
ascending and descending size—the largest wheel being in the center so that the
skater could now perform turns. Tyvers arranged for an exhibition of his
skates in Haymarket, London—unfortunately, his idea of roller skating did not
catch the public’s eye.
- 1840-The first roller skating waitresses were bringing beer to patrons at the Corse Halle near Berlin. Considering the large size of the beer halls in Germany, this was a time saving convenience for the barmaids.
- 1840-In Paris at the Port Saint Martin Theatre, professional dancers Monsieur and Madame Dumas performed an exhibition of fancy roller skating.
- Sometime in the 1840s, German composer Giacomo Meyerbeer wrote the opera, Le Prophete. Included in the scenes was a skating ballet on a frozen lake. Hired to teach the dancers how to skate, Louis Legrand designed two kinds of skates for the production. The men used a boot skate with 2 wheels front and back, the women used a boot skate with 2 wheels in front and back. This was the first appearance of ‘quad’ roller skates. In 1849, the opera, Le Prophete, opened in Paris and later in London, in 1850 it opened in New Orleans, and in 1853 it opened in New York.
- 1849-The Pleasures of Winter or the Skaters (Plaisier de Hiver ou Les Patineurs) opened. This ballet had ice skating being depicted by roller skaters in their scenes.
Roller skates and skating were now becoming a
popular trend. In London, England in 1857 large public skating rinks were
opening at the Floral Hall and The Strand. Rubberized wheels were introduced in
a skate called the Woodward in 1859. This type of wheel offered better traction
for the skater on those large wooden floors. Skating surfaces were bare in
those days and wheels were usually made of metal or wood. The Woodward skate
had 4 wheels, 2 wheels were paired in the middle of the skate and were slightly
larger then the end wheels. This helped with turning technique.
The Woodward skate became the skate of choice by Jackson Haines. Haines, pictured right, an American ice skater became known as the father of figure skating. He began as a ballet dancer, then adapted ballet styles and techniques for ice skating. At that time, ice skating sport consisted to a limited number of figures that were done in a very awkward manner. Haines traveled the world to help other skaters and demonstrate proper skating technique. He began using the Woodward skate for his exhibitions that were held indoors where ice was not available. He also was a performer in the opera Le Prophete—when it was revived in the late 1860s.
In
1863, James Leonard Plimpton—a furniture makes, took and interest in creating a
new design for roller skates. His patented design included:
- A pair of wheels in the front and another pair in the rear of the chassis
- A truck that had a pivot motion
- A rubber cushion on each truck so that the skater could lean in the direction of the turn (lobe).
- Toe and heel clamps
- In 1866, he included straps with buckles instead of toe/heel clamps
Plimpton
contributed more to ‘roller skating’ than his skate design! He was the father
of the quad roller skates, roller skating business and sport as we know it
today. He owned a furniture business in New York City, where he had a skating
floor installed and began the business of leasing his roller skates. Plimpton
introduced the general skating session, when he had the Atlantic House Ballroom
in Newport, Rhode Island converted into a skating rink an opened to the general
public in 1866. The New York Roller Skating Association (NYRSA) was founded by
Plimpton in order to promote roller skating as an American pastime. Upset by
patent infringements on his skate design, Plimpton’s lawyers began sending a
form letter to those companies who were copying Plimpton’s skate design. His
solution to these infringements was to design a ‘proficiency test program,’ so
that skaters who chose to use his skates could be rewarded with a medal of
proficiency. By 1870 his tests and medals were being given in 20 countries
where his roller skates were being used. In the Northeast United States,
Plimpton developed and operated many roller rinks, then traveled throughout the
region giving skating lessons. This was the beginning of the ‘roller skating
craze!’