Good roller skates can take you many places from your own driveway to park trails to a busy roller rink. When you zoom into this new favorite activity, you’re really taken into a world of rich history, unique events, and surprising facts. Check out these four pieces of intriguing trivia and roller skate’s history before your next adventure.
1 – The First Roller Skates Were Only For the Social Elite
A shaped piece of wood, a few leather straps, and four wheels hardly sound like the height of fashion or style, but the first roller skates were exactly that. James Leonard Plimpton, who patented the first ‘land skates’ after the design of ice skates, marketed them solely to the social elite, wealthy business interests, and politicians. He showed them off at parties, opened exclusive rinks, and sent out engraved invitations to try them. He even marketed them as a proper moral activity for young ladies in the 1860s.
Bonus Fact: The first ever roller skates debuted in 1735, however, when John Joseph Merlin strapped on wheeled shoes, picked up his violin, and crashed a fancy party as a joke.
2 – The Longest Roller-Skating Marathons Top 3000 Miles
Lua Yincai holds the Guiness Book World Record for the longest distance skated ever. He covered 7,495+ miles across China over a period of seven months. Another notable and earlier distance skater was Andre Strydom, whose journey spanned 15 different countries and more than 3000 miles. For sheer time skated at once, a group of 78 roller skaters in Indian didn’t stop skating for 30 hours, which earned them another world record.
3 – Roller Skating Appears in the Olympics
Although things like speed skating and roller dancing (similar to artistic ice skating and dancing) would fit in the Olympics, they haven’t caught on officially yet. However, these fast-paced sports do show up as exhibitions quite often. Quad rink roller hockey was the first. Teams competed in Barcelona in 1992, not for medals, but for clout and to entertain the crowds. Almost every year since then, the Olympic committee has voted on including roller sports or not. Skateboarding made it in 2020, but roller skating’s only appearance was on the racetrack at the Youth Olympics in 2018.
4 – World Speed Records on Wheels
The average adult roller skater at the park or rink can go about six to 10 miles per hour. A professional speed skater can go about 50-60 mph. In 2017, Gabe Holm took the world record for the fastest speed ever recorded on inline skates: 81.93 mph. He did this in Quebec, Canada on a smooth downhill slope and is thus considered a true winner in this gravity sport event.
Bonus Fact: The fastest ever on skates was 162 mph. However, that was a dragged speed. Tobias Gustofsson was pulled by a vehicle, which is a very dangerous feat.
The world of roller skating is full of amazing historical happenings, unique cultural connections, and surprising facts. Now it’s time for you to get involved. Before you strap on your Nattork roller skates and hit the pavement once more, share some of your favorite memories, trivia, or experiences with us.