Inline Skating: A Timeline

Inline Skating has come a long way…a very long way. Most of us typically think that inline skating has only been around since the 1980s. This common misconception occurs because this was the period of time in which the sport started to flourish. The history of inline skating however dates back…way back. Here is a timeline of development for inline skating beginning with the first inline skate model in 1743.

1743: The first documented reference to inline or roller skating was left by a London stage performer. The skates of this inventor, most likely an inline design, are unknown and unsolved in history.

1760: Nearly two decades after the first documented reference of inline skating, John Joseph Merlin became the first known inventor of an inline roller skate. Born September 17, 1735, in Huys, Belgium, Merlin would become a musical instrument maker and mechanical inventor. One of his inventions was a pair of skates with single line of small metal wheels. As a publicity stunt to promote his museum, Merlin wore the skates and from the beginning, stopping was a problem. It is believed that one of his ballroom stunts ended in a dramatic crash into a mirrored wall because of this defect. Over the next century roller skate wheels would follow the inline design alignment of Merlin.

1818: Inline roller skates roll into Berlin, Germany via a ballet that was choreographed to include ice skating during a time when it was impossible produce ice on a stage.

1819: The first roller skate, an inline skate, was patented. Known as the Petitbled, this patent was issued in Paris, France, in 1819. This invention by M. Petitbled had three inline wheels which were wood, metal or ivory. He believed his inline skate would allow a skater to simulate ice skating moves, but the wheel construction would not allow it, since the wheels kept slipping on hard surfaces. The next 40 years would see skates designed with two to six wheels which were aligned in-line. Maneuverability was exceptionally difficult during these early years.

First Inline Skate

1823: Designed and patented by Robert John Tyers, the Rolito is developed in London. The Rolito’s design called for five wheels in a single row on the boot of a shoe or boot. Unfortunately, the Rolito was incapable of following a curved path like the inline skates of today.

1860: The first roller skate patent of any kind is issued by the U.S. Patent Office to Reuben Shaler, an inventor from Madison, Connecticut. Shaler developed a new skate design in an effort to solve the maneuverability problem of skates that preceded his design. Shaler’s patented Parlor Skate design consisted of four wheels attached by axles or pins to a hanger which somewhat resembled the inline frames of today. The Parlor Skate offered a rubber or leather ring on its wheels to allow them to grip the skating surface. Unfortunately this inline skate never caught on.

1863: James Plimpton invents the quad skate and changes the production tendencies of the timer period. Most roller skate manufacturers abandon inline production due to market domination of the quad skate. This four-wheeled skate provided greater control than the inline models and was considerably easier to use. Despite the market domination of the new quad skates, a few companies would continue to design skates with inline wheels.

1892: Walter Nielson of New York designs and Patents the Combined Ice Roller Skate. Nielson’s design left a space at the back of the 14-wheel skate where he wrote in his patent description, “a pad of rubber, leather, or like material should be placed so that when the skater desires to stop, it is only necessary to press the pad against the floor or ground.” His idea was well ahead of its time and can be seen on the inline skates of today in the form of the traditional braking device.

1900: The Peck & Snyder Company patents a two wheeled inline skate.

1905: The first patented adjustable length skate is created by John Jay Young of New York City.

1910: A three-wheeled inline skate with a leather shoe is designed by the Roller Hockey Skate Company.

1930s: The Best Ever Built Skate Company manufactures a 3-wheel, low profile inline skate

1938: Christian Siffert patents a design of an inexpensive inline skate that could convert to sharp-edged wheels for use on ice. Known as the Jet Skate, its ad proclaimed “only skate with brakes to stop quick.” Unfortunately this claim is likely to be false due to several brake designs that had been invented and patented for roller skates. The brake design of the Jet Skate was similar in design to today’s heel brakes and used in similar fashion as well.

1960: The Chicago Skate Company designs and unsuccessfully attempts to market an inline skate similar to equipment of today. The design was shaky, uncomfortable and the brakes were not dependable, thus it did not succeed.

1966: Another attempt is made at inline skates by The Chicago Skate Company. This time their inline skate design consists of a boot. These skates featured four wheels in a line with the front and back wheel extending beyond the boot like an ice skate blade. Unknowingly, this skate would play a prominent role in future of inline skates.

1979: Scott and Brennan Olson, brothers and hockey players from Minneapolis, Minnesota, find a pair of 1966 Chicago Skate Company inline roller skates. They begin redesigning them using modern materials. They add polyurethane wheels, attach the frames to ice hockey boots, and add a rubber toe-brake to the new design. Their modifications were intended for ice hockey training when ice was not available. Over 200 years later and much trial and error, inline skating is ready to emerge.

1980: Scott and Brennan Olson found Rollerblade, Inc. After selling inline skates with no brake at all to the hockey players who were the early adopters, the Olson brothers introduced a new skating phenomenon that had never been equaled in roller sports. Their impact was felt so heavily that the proper terms of, inline roller skating or inline skating, were replaced by the term Rollerblading. The company name, Rollerblade, is synonymous with the sport and consider far and above the leader.

1982-1984: Scott Olson adds the toe stop to inline skates, but recognized that it didn’t work well. Therefore in 1984, he adds a heel brake to help beginners get over the fear of being unable to stop.

1984: Minneapolis businessman Bob Naegele, Jr. purchases Olson’s fledgling company, which would officially become Rollerblade, Inc. And while it was not the first company to manufacture inline skates, Rollerblade would take the sport of inline skating from the exclusive market of hockey players and introduce it to millions worldwide.

1989: Rollerblade, Inc. produces the Macro and Aeroblade model skates, the first skates fastened with three buckles rather than traditional long laces.

1990: Rollerblade, Inc., begins construction of skates with a glass-reinforced thermoplastic resin (durethan polyamide). This design replaces the polyurethane compounds previously used and decreases the average weight of skates by nearly half.

1993: Rollerblade, Inc., develops ABT or Active Brake Technology. This innovative brake design features a fiberglass post attached at one end to the top of the boot and at the other end to a rubber brake. It was hinged to the chassis at the back wheel. To operate, skaters straighten one leg to stop, driving the post into the brake, which then hit the ground. The design is perfect for beginners who previously would have had to tilt their foot back to make contact with the ground.

1995: Sporting goods company K2, Inc develops a soft boot inline skate design that would change the landscape of inline skating (except Aggressive Skating). Soft boot design becomes the common design for nearly all inline skates by 2000.

1997: The inline skating industry has grown into an international industry, toppling 1 billion dollars. Nearly 26 million Americans are now participating in the sport.

Tags: history, inline, inline skates, skates, skating