Teen Action: Roller Skating - Eileen Dennis - February 1981

Eileen Dennis

Whether in the park, at the beach or in the rinks, roller skating is on the move as a sport. It's the latest craze, and participation is growing! When did it all start? In 1760 Joseph Merlin, a native of Huy, Belgium, invented the first pair of roller skates. But we wouldn't consider his design - only two narrow wheels on each skate - very acceptable today. Over the following century, revisions were made and roller skating found its way to the United States. American James L. Plimpton designed, produced and patented the first four-wheeled skates. - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library