| Belgian
violinist Joseph Merlin made the first pair of in-line
skates in 1759 by attaching wooden spools to the front
and back of shoes to mimick ice-skates for a costume
party. His invention failed to take off when he crashed
into a mirror. Modern in-line skates (rollerblades) were
developed by Scott and Brennan Olsen in 1980 and created
one of the fastest growing sports in the world.
Remember
those clunky roller-skates that you laced to your shoes?
Roller-skates are passe now; if you have to skate,
rollerblades are the way to go.
In-line
skates with polyurethane wheels are lightweight,
comfortable (you wear them like shoes) and are right up
there with the cool factor.
|
