The first patented roller skate was introduced in 1760 by Belgian inventor John Joseph Merlin. His roller skate wasn’t much more than an ice skate with wheels where the blade goes, (a style we would call inlines today). They were hard to steer and hard to stop because they didn’t have brakes, as such were not very popular. The initial “test pilot” of the first prototype of the skate was in the city of Huy, which had a party with Merlin playing the violin. These motorized versions from 1961 are another story. Continue reading for more bizarre inventions and gadgets from the past.
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