Who invented skates

Roller derby is known for having a gritty post-punk aesthetic, with players decked out in costume-like uniforms, and sometimes fishnets and makeup. As a result, scholars have criticized it as a performance for the male gaze. But the feminist scholar Ula Klein believes derby to be a vehicle of female empowerment that offers opportunities for leadership, camaraderie, and inclusion.

I was sweaty, cussing, and vomiting in a patch of grass from over-exhaustion. My fishnet stockings were torn, and ants started to bite my hands before I could lift my face out of the grass. What the hell was I doing here? Some girl intentionally pushed me onto the asphalt, which grated my nalgas [buttocks] like a piece of cheese.

We were practicing roller derby. Roller derby subverted all of my good schoolgirl values into an aggressive, abrasive sport. Despite my internal conflict, I loved every painful and wonderful moment. While it is unclear whether he is a skater, Longstreth uses the activity as a metaphor for the way his immigrant family traveled through life, in contrast to the walking and running of the dominant culture in which he found himself.

In a particularly poignant passage, he writes:. Since Merlin first invented skates, roller skating has reflected aspects of our individuality, as well as our relationships to other people and collectively important events. As progresses, perhaps roller skating can also serve as a physical metaphor for forward movement, a process of false starts and failed attempts and constant course correction, hopefully careening toward greater empathy and equity.

Join our new membership program on Patreon today. JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students. Since its invention in , roller skating has been tied to Black social movements. A man swinging a woman on roller skates, Savoy Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois. By: Ruth Terry. September 7, September 28, Share Tweet Email Print.

Weekly Newsletter. Have a correction or comment about this article? Please contact us. This made turns particularly challenging, as skaters had to slow down and push sideways with the stick. But once they pushed off, it was smooth skating. In addition to being durable, Formenti explains, bones were naturally one of the best materials for skates because they contain fat. The oily nature of the surface in contact with the ice reduces the coefficient of friction and allows them to glide more effortlessly across the surface.

In the 13th century, skaters made no bones about discarding the old model and constructing their skates from wood with an iron blade fastened underneath. This meant that they had far more control over their movements, and could ditch those cumbersome sticks and propel themselves using their legs. Still, by the 14th century, iron blade skates supplanted bone skates in places like the Netherlands.

As skate makers glided into the 15th century, they added a dramatic curled toe to the blade. The curl also prevents the tip of the skate from getting stuck in the ice and causing its wearer to trip. A third reason for that characteristic curl? Until the 18th century, ice skating was simply ice skating. But the Little Ice Age , which started around the 13th century and continued into the 19th, led to a period of particularly cold winters, and newly cheap, mass-produced ice skates, which launched the wintertime ice-travaganza into popularity.

The activity soon became more specialized—and so did the equipment. In , Englishman Robert Jones penned A Treatise on Skating , which is considered the first account of figure skating by Encyclopedia Britannica , marking a split between what would become speed and figure skating.

Near the end of the 19th century the American ballet dancer Jackson Haines adapted his techniques for ice dancing, and is widely considered the father of figure skating.

The 20th century brought the toe pick, the jagged edge on the front of the figure skate that enables skaters to push off of the ice for jumps. Meanwhile, skate makers also began to construct skating blades as long and thin as possible for speed and transportation.

When it comes to speed skates, blade length matters. That results in a smoother glide. In the 20th century, skates became what we know today. Unsurprisingly, skating injuries shot up.

At its peak, there were some 5, rinks and 18 million skaters. Fans flocked to watch Roller Derby: In the late s full-contact matches began to be televised every week. Watch: This roller derby girl squad is the first of its kind. Over the years, innovators sought to improve the quad skate, adding ball bearings to wheel construction in the s, which made for a smoother ride.

Attempts at competing with the basic quad design, however, failed to catch on. Englishman J. The standardization of toe stops in the midth century, made slowing down and stopping much easier. Wooden wheels eventually gave way to metal and rubber. When polyurethane wheels became the standard, traction improved, and the roller-disco craze exploded in the s.

See how bicycles also tranformed our world. In the s a return to the in-line skating model sparked another craze. Two ice hockey—playing brothers designed an in-line skate to mimic the action of their ice hockey skates. Their invention, which they dubbed the Rollerblade, drove a skating resurgence centered on athletics. In-line skating competitions and roller hockey surged in popularity. Throughout its nearly three centuries of history, skating has remained a source of exercise and entertainment.

While the design and materials are sure to evolve, its appeal will remain much as it did years ago. All rights reserved. History Magazine. The roller-skating revolution swept the world in the s Invented in the s, roller skates became a huge fad after an innovation made them easier to control. In the s as the roller-skating craze spread in cities and towns across the United States, roller rink advertisements showed people of all ages having fun on four wheels.

In-line adventures One of the first recorded attempts to put wheels on shoes took place in the s. Hell on wheels? Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Skating minister in an American wood engraving from Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London Love them or hate them, there's no denying their growing numbers have added an explosion of color to the city's streets.

India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country. Epic floods leave South Sudanese to face disease and starvation. Travel 5 pandemic tech innovations that will change travel forever These digital innovations will make your next trip safer and more efficient.