In 1743 there was a stage performance in London. The actors and actresses in the show wore roller skates, this was the first ever recorded use of this recreational footwear. It is not known who invented this particular set of roller skates.
Reports indicate that is was not until 1760 when Jean-Joseph Merlin put on record that he had invented the first inline skate with metal wheels. The first person to patent the roller skate was M. Petitbled, in France, in the year 1819. These early skates were not very maneuverable, and more work was needed to improve the design. James Leonard Pimpton, from New York City, made such improvements with the introduction of the quad skate, in 1863. The skate gave the user better turning power as the wheels pivoted rather than being solid, and straight. These skates were a huge success, so much so that the first ever skating rink was opened in Rhode Island in 1866.
William Brown patented a design for the wheels of the roller skate in Birmingham, England, in 1876. His system of the wheels enabled the wheels to be fully adjustable. Brown and Joseph Henry Hughes are responsible for the wheels on skates and skateboard wheels that are in use today. The toe stop at the front of the skate was first patented in 1876. This gave the skater an easier way to stop by tipping their foot forward, and is still used in skate designs today. In the 1800’s skates were being produced in masses in America. Micajah C. Henley, in Richmond, Indiana produced thousands each week at the time of the skating boom, and were the first to offer adjustable tension with the turning of a screw. Steel ball bearings for wheels were patented in 1884. In 1898 the Richardson Ball Bearing and Skate company went into production. The design of the quad skate has changed very little since that time.
Scott Olsen and Brennan Olsen came across a pair of inline skates in 1979. The skates were from the 1960’s, and made by the Chicago Roller Skate Company. They re-designed the skates using more modern materials and attached ice hockey boots to them. Scott Olsen decided to have his own company in the 60’s, he named the company, Rollerblade, Inc. The company and skating as a whole became so popular that any skating during the 1980’s, and 90’s become known as Rollerblading. Inline skates have four or five wheels going in a straight line. Many professional sport people use inline skates, although quad skates are still used depending on the particular type of skating.
There are of course different types of skating. As well as recreational, aggressive, and inline skating, there is also free skating. It is also know as urban skating, or free riding. The object of this type of skating is to get from start to finish, and avoid obstacles along the way. This type of skating is usually performed on city streets. There is also free style and speed slalom skating, which involves navigation of various cones.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roller_skating
