Who Invented Roller Blades?

A roller blade is a roller skate with more than two wheels aligned in a straight line. The roller blade, like the the roller skate, was created from the need to get from place to place. The history of the roller blade begins in the early 1700s and continues through modern day. Now, the roller blade is a source of not only transportation, but of exercise and recreation as well.

  1. The Beginning

    • In the 1700, Dutchmen began to attach wooden spools to the bottom of boots to create a roller skate. These roller skates, called skeelers, were used on dry land during warm months.

    First Patent

    • The first patent for roller skates was given to Monsieur Petibledion in 1819. Petibledion's skate was made of a shoe with a wooden sole that had up to four wheels that were made of copper or wood placed in a straight line.

    Five Wheels

    • In 1823, Robert John Tyers of London, received a patent for his "in line" skate. Tyers' skate, called the Rolito, had five wheels placed in a single row at the bottom of a boot. The Rolito could only be maneuvered in a straight line.

    Modern Skates

    • In 1979, brothers Scott and Brennan Olson, of Minneapolis, Minnesota found antique skates with wheels placed in a straight line on the skate's sole. The Olsons redesigned the skate by using polyurethane wheels on the bottom of hockey boots. The Olsons also added a rubber toe brake.

    Rollerblades

    • In 1983, the Olsons founded Rollerblade Inc. to mass produce their new invention. Rollerblade Inc. was the first company to mass produce the "in line" type of roller skate.