Editing Roller skates (section)

== History ==

While the first reported use of wheeled skates was on a London stage in 1743, the first [[patent]]ed "roller skate" was introduced in 1760 by Belgian inventor [[John Joseph Merlin]].<ref>{{Cite book|editor-last1=Valderrabano|editor-first1=Victor|editor-last2=Easley|editor-first2=Mark E.|title=Foot and ankle sports orthopaedics|date=21 February 2017|isbn=978-3-319-15734-4|location=Cham, Switzerland|publisher=Springer|oclc=972330993|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-15735-1}}</ref> They were hard to steer and stopping was difficult due to the fact that they did not have any type of braking mechanism and as such they failed to gain popularity. Merlin demonstrated his invention during a party in the city of [[Huy]], during which he skated while playing the [[violin]].<ref name="Highfill">{{cite book|first1=Philip H. |last1=Highfill|first2=Kalman A. |last2=Burnim|first3=Edward A. |last3=Langhans|title=A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800: M'Intosh to Nash|pages=201–202|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xE2a06VfoogC&pg=PA202|year=1984|publisher=SIU Press|isbn=978-0-8093-1130-9}}</ref>

In the 1840s, Meyerbeer's opera ''[[Le prophète]]'' featured a scene in which performers used roller-skates to simulate ice-skating on a frozen lake set on stage. This exposure had an impact on audiences and led to the rise of roller skating as a new and popular activity throughout the Continent. As ice skaters subsequently developed the art of figure skating, roller skaters wanted the ability to turn in their skates in a similar fashion.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=David Gordon|year=2004|title=Bicycling Science|edition=3|url={{GBurl|id=0JJo6DlF9iMC}}|location= Cambridge, Massachusetts|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=0-262-73154-1}}</ref>

[[File:Plimpton Roller Skate prototype-between 1863 and 1866-at National Museum of Roller Skating-by Bruce McArthur.jpg|thumb|right|270px|Plimpton prototype 1863-1866]]

In 1863, [[James Leonard Plimpton|James Plimpton]] from Massachusetts invented the "rocking" skate and used a four-wheel configuration for stability, and independent axles that turned by pressing to one side of the skate or the other when the skater wants to create an edge. This was a vast improvement on the Merlin design, one that was easier to use and drove the huge popularity of [[roller skating]], dubbed  "rinkomania" in the 1860s and 1870s,<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31831110 "The Victorian craze that sparked a mini-sexual revolution"], [[BBC News]], 6 April 2015</ref> which spread to Europe and around the world, and continued through the 1930s.

Eventually, roller skating evolved from just a pastime to a competitive [[sport]]; [[Inline speed skating|speed skating]], racing on skates, and [[artistic roller skating]], equivalent to [[figure skating]] on ice. In the mid 1990s [[roller hockey]], played with a ball rather than a puck, became so popular that it even made an appearance in the [[Olympic Games|Olympics]] in 1992. The National Sporting Goods Association statistics showed, from a 1999 study, that 2.5 million people played roller hockey. Roller skating was considered for the 2012 Summer Olympics<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skatemall.com/article-roller-skating-being-considered-for-olympics.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716080922/http://www.skatemall.com/article-roller-skating-being-considered-for-olympics.aspx |archive-date=2011-07-16 |title=Article: Roller Skating Being Considered for Olympics @ SkateMall.com}}</ref> but has never become an Olympic event. Other roller skating sports include [[jam skating]] and [[roller derby]].

[[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis -Roller Skates.jpg|thumbnail|right|270px|A pair of roller skates within the permanent collection of [[The Children's Museum of Indianapolis]]. Skates like these fit over shoes and were adjustable with a roller skate key.]]

Roller skating popularity began during the late 1950s and 1960s at [[Rock and roll|rock 'n' roll]] teen dance halls, but exploded and took off in the 1970s and 1980s due to the introduction of large rubberized polymer wheels such as Krypto-Pro, to replace metal wheels, becoming popular and an iconic thing of that time. In the early 1990s it would begin to diminish in popularity. Sales of roller skates increased during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] as people sought safe outdoor activities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/roller-skate-sold-out |title=There's a Worldwide Shortage of Roller Skates |last=Spellings |first=Sarah |date=July 2, 2020 |website=Vogue |access-date=October 20, 2020 }}</ref>

Roller skating saw a revival in the late 2010s and early 2020s, spurred on by a number of viral videos on the popular video-sharing app [[TikTok]] and also a revival of [[1970s nostalgia|1970s]] and [[1980s nostalgia|1980s]] pop culture from film and TV nostalgia. Many popular brands sold out to the point of back-order, with many people taking up the hobby during [[COVID-19|COVID-19 quarantines]] across the globe.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Conlon|first=Scarlett|date=2021-01-08|title=Roller skating is having a revival, but whatever you do don't call it a trend|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/a35151297/roller-skating-revival-history-origins/|access-date=2021-03-30|magazine=Harper's BAZAAR|language=en-GB}}</ref>