The first use of roller skates were said to be in a London stage performance as early as 1743, with John Joseph Merlin claiming the first skate invention while living in London in 1760.
In the U.S. they first became a popular pastime in 1935 and when skating rinks playing disco music were introduced in the 1970s the hobby became all the rage.
For those of a certain age you may remember those heavy metal skates that attached to your shoes and adjusted as your feet grew. But you may not remember a metal object that came with these skates that most skaters wore around their neck.
