This week in ….1876
The birth of the roller-skate
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With Britain facing a future of raised petrol prices it’s more than likely that the country and its drivers will turn to alternative and cheaper modes of transport. What better to meet their needs than the both efficient and charmingly old school roller skate?
It’s been 135 years this month since The Engineer reported on developments in the design of the roller skate, or the “parlour velocipede” as it was known. The invention was pioneered for German barmaids during the mid 1800’s in an attempt to serve punters more efficiently, due to the nature of the skate however women found they struggled to turn in a smooth curve when wearing them.
First patented in 1819 by French inventor M.Petitbled the early rollerskate was similar to the modern day inline skate. But, unlike the 20th century design, Petitbled’s wheels were sized with an equal diameter and made of metal, the weight making it virtually impossible for the skater to lift their foot.
Though the skate’s biggest design fault was Petitbled’s primitive choice of material, this was not the defect outlined by The Engineer in 1876.The magazine wrote that the ‘grave defect’ of the product was its ‘clumsy’ appearance, going on to say that ‘very few of the fairer sex would deign to encase their feet in such ugly replicates, lest it should be expected that their ankles were really the size of which they were made to appear’.
However, despite The Engineer’s scepticism American inventor James Plimpton was already hard at work on a skate design that eventually took the world by storm. Plimpton’s quad (four wheeled) skate design is still being used today, even by the ‘fairer sex’.
Readers' comments (3)
Mike West | 8 Dec 2011 1:20 pm
Great stuff ! In the pre-electronics age of my childhood, Jackoskates were a Christmas present almost every lucky child got at some time. Swapping wheels around to even out wear; bolting up the sliding sizing joint, and eventually replacing wheels providing complete ball bearing sets for other projects. Testing out the newly retarmacked road or driveway. Removing trucks to make early (for the UK) skateboards and other projects. Lovely ! How deprived my own children have been.
Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.
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Kathy Wilkinson | 8 Dec 2011 1:41 pm
Having had rollerskates since I was 13, I rediscovered the joy of skating again in my mid-30s when I lived in Stratford-upon-Avon in the 1990s. My trusty rollerblades were the ideal mode of free transport around this (thankfully flat!) busy tourist town and the large coach parks made an ideal practice 'rink' on warm summer evenings.
Great exercise and no need to worry about parking! I even glided round the supermarket once (behind the trolley and unchallenged amazingly) and skated the 2 miles home carrying the shopping home in my rucksack! Adverse weather, too much traffic and potholes are the biggest dangers, but it's an efficient way to get around once you're proficient on 8 wheels.
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Robert Rogers | 8 Dec 2011 3:42 pm
I,like Mike West had a pair of Jackoskates in the early 1960's. Rubber wheels and a soft spongey piece of rubber to allow the skate platform to angle over and keep all wheels on the ground. Many, many hours of fun was spent on them, I used to go shopping for my Mother on them too.
In the mid 1980's my Daughter discovered the joys of roller skating, this was an excuse for me to return to my childhood. I invested in a pair and used to take her to roller disco, not Jackoskates this time but the latest Bauer with toe and heel stoppers. I still have them today and have taught my Grandchildren to roller skate. I still use them from time to time. I'm due to retire next year and hope to have more time to use them.
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