RollerBlade
Overview:
Rollerblade, Inc. revived a 200-year-old idea and turned in-line skating into one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. The origin of in-line skating dates back to 1760, to an inventor named Joseph Merlin. Merlin premiered his invention at a costume party intending to imitate ice-skating. However, the wheels that he attached to a pair of shoes crashed quickly because he couldn?t stop. He literally crashed the party as he took out a full-length mirror. Next in 1823, Robert John Tyers created the ?Rolito? but the five wheels on the bottom of a boot couldn?t make turn so it also was a failure . In 1863 an American, James Plimpton solved the turning problem. His version had two sets of wheels and worked on rubber springs, one set under the heel the other under the ball of the foot. It was the first skate that allowed for the ability to skate backwards.
How it all Happened:
Improvements in technology up to 1979 helped to improve wheels and design, however two brothers in Minneapolis turned an antique in-line skate into an ideal off-season hockey training tool. In their
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