Roller Skates History
Though it's not exactly agreed upon when roller skates were invented, the roller skate is not without a past. Throughout American history, roller skates were a form of viable transportation, entertainment, a sport, and a childhood memory.
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History
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According to "The Big Book of Questions and Answers" by Jane Parker Resnick, Rebecca L. Grambo and Tony Tallarico, the first historical account of a roller skate was in 1759, when a man from Belgium, Joseph Merlin, crashed through a very costly mirror at a ballroom masquerade party on boots with metal wheels while playing a violin.
Features
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In 1819 Monsieur Petibledin took out the first patent for a roller skate, which was also the first inline roller skate documented. But as it turned out, the skate lacked the design that would allow it to turn corners. It was actually James Plimpton, of Massachusetts, that designed the first roller skate that would allow for turning corners and curves, calling it the "rocking" skate in1863. This new feature would evolve over the years into the popular quad-style roller skate.
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Significance
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In 1857, the first roller skating rinks were being opened, and by the late 1800s, roller skates were a popular part of indoor and outdoor recreation. People found entertainment and sport in activities such as indoor Roller Polo, a form of roller skating hockey played by affluent men in Newport, Rhode Island, to skating contests and speed races throughout the world.
Benefits
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During the 1840s, roller skating entered the workplace in Berlin, at a tavern that employed roller skating barmaids. During the 1940s, telephone switchboard operators used roller skates to pass information quickly between operators and directory assistants and by the 1950s, burgers delivered to your car by roller skating food servers became a part of American culture that is still popular today.
Types
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Throughout the years, several types of skates have made their way into popular culture, including quad-style roller skates, inline roller skates, tennis shoe skates, strap-on roller skates (including adjustable sized strap-on skates), and boot-style roller skates.
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