NEW ARTICLES  HOT ARTICLES  TOP RATED  ADD AN ARTICLE  UPDATE AN ARTICLE  GET RATED 
  HOME     MY ACCOUNT     POWER SEARCH     REGISTER     SUPPORT     SUGGEST CATEGORY  

Skating's Progression From Blades To Wheels
32829 Recreation & Sports May 23, 2007 jimmycox Skating's Progression From Blades To Wheels Roller skating, one of America's primary mass participant sports, has traveled a long and sometimes hard road since the day two centuries ago when an anonymous Dutchman first attempted to transfer skating from ice to ground. The Netherlands ice-skating enthusiast, who could scarcely wait for the canals to freeze over each winter, nailed some large wooden spools to wood strips which he attached to his shoes, and went bumping along his merry way. Apparently his crude attempts at "ground skating" were not too successful, for nothing more was heard of a substitute for ice skating until mid-eighteenth century. Then an ingenious Belgian mechanic and musical instrument maker, named Joseph Merlin, devised a pair of skates, which ran on small metallic wheels. In London, where he had moved to become director of several museums, he fascinated the local gentry at a Soho Square party with his skates. However, he could neither turn nor stop his forward progress on skates and dashed himself against a huge mirror at a fashionable masquerade party while skating and playing the violin. According to a contemporary account, "He impelled himself against a mirror of more than 500 pounds value (approximately $1,300 at today's exchange rate), dashed it to atoms, broke his instrument to pieces, and wounded himself most severely. After this disastrous occurrence in 1760, roller skating disappeared from public notice until after the French Revolution. Then, as France was gripped by the reign of terror following the overthrow of the monarchy, a Parisian die maker named Vanlede invented a wheeled skate in 1790. His device, called the "patin-a-terre," or ground skate, became known in Germany, but roller skating again disappeared from public attention until its reappearance on a Berlin ballet stage in 1818. The following year, roller skates were used on the streets of Paris, and several varieties of wheels attached to boots and shoes were invented and used in various entertainments and exhibitions. None of these, however, caught the public fancy. The two to four rollers on these devices did not permit the user to travel in anything but a straight line. Strangely enough, roller skating enjoyed the greatest public acclaim since its inception nearly a century before, in 1849, at the Paris Opera House. Almost overnight, roller skating slid into a starring role in a famous opera and a ballet, both of which were sensational successes - artistically and financially. The opera, which gave roller skating its greatest dignity and catapulted it into international fancy as a pastime, was Meyerbeer's "Le Prophete" (The Prophet), with its third-act ice-skating scene. In those days, synthetic ice was unknown and real ice could not be successfully transferred indoors and kept fit for skating. A Paris machinist solved the problem of simulating ice skating on a wooden stage floor by developing a fairly practical skate running on iron wheels. For male members of the cast, he made a skate with two wheels in a straight line. Female members wore skates with four wheels each, not in a straight line but coupled front and rear for a broad-bearing surface. Shortly after the opera's successful premiere, "prophete skates" became the rage of Paris and were widely used on the asphalt streets and marble or parquet floors. The success of the opera and of skating spread quickly to London. Similar success followed the Paris premiere of an entire ballet devoted to skating. After spreading through Europe, roller skating made its debut in the United States where it continues to be an enjoyable pastime. Roller Skating Tips Exposed-Totally Uncensored And Uncut, Revealing How To Learn All The Different Techniques In Less Than A Week

Click here for FREE online ebook!

http://www.rollerskatingtips.com/
send email to jimmycox

Write a Review   Add to My Favorite   Refer it to Friend   Report Article  

Average Visitor Rating: 0.00 (out of 5)
Number of ratings: 0 Votes

Visitor Rating


Other links owned by this user
Most people who become interested in racing, if pinned down and forced to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, would admit that they know very little about horses, racing and the figuring of winners. Whether or not they admit these f
Category:

The history of dog breeding is a large subject, and to deal with each separate breed would entail a volume in itself. Here I shall give only a brief outline of the history of research in genetics.
Category:

The way to build up your ceramic tool set is to start slowly. This will help you save money and avoid confusion.
Category:

Yes, our bodies age as the years past, but being "old" is more of a mental than physical state. You can determine how old you want to project yourself to be regardless of your physical age.
Category:

If you want to keep your prized bird looking and feeling healthy you need to supply it with a sufficient diet. This article will help you to understand what food is right for your parrot and what food could potentially hurt them. Keep you bird healthy and
Category:

When you're building up your ceramics workshop you're going to need a litany of tools including a wedging wire, wedging board and soft hair brushes for decorating your work. Though these tools are important, there are other tools that will help you create
Category:

Being a good hostess requires planning and organization. You can't just do something last minute and hope to receive the compliments, "You always seem to have such a good time at your own parties," and, "You do everything so easily."
Category:

Looking for a leader on your team? The quarterback influences a team's performance greatly so to be successful, you need a well trained and athletic quarterback. The qualities listed will help you to decide the right quarterback to lead your team to victo
Category:

Roses, sometimes called the queen of flowers, look charming in the garden but also especially when they are cut and brought inside. There are several things which can be dome to enhance the beauty of your cut roses.
Category:

The knowledge that you are well dressed imparts a feeling of confidence that enables you to express poise and serenity, whether the occasion is a social gathering or business meeting.
Category:

Is it true, as so many say, that woman's place is in the home? The answer is a clear "No!" A woman's place is in her place, and this is true both at home (as we have seen) and in the office, but dealing with women in the office can be a challenge.
Category:

Putting the together the proper skiing outwear can make or break a ski trip. If you don't have enough equipment, you'll get too cold and if you're wearing too much, you'll be uncomfortable.
Category:

Within the wonderful world of trees lies another world - that of the organisms which harbor in trees as pests and parasites. Of these there is no end in numbers or variety. New home owners are scarcely to be blamed for becoming dismayed, as they often do,
Category:

Roller skating, one of America's primary mass participant sports, has traveled a long and sometimes hard road since the day two centuries ago when an anonymous Dutchman first attempted to transfer skating from ice to ground.
Category:

The most popular alcoholic beverage in the world today is that high-powered mixture known as the cocktail.
Category:

If your inclination is towards a scientific career, naturally the place to begin building your future is in the place where you are right now.
Category:

How many times have you heard people say that horses are stupid, unable to reason, and extremely selfish? But who stops to take the trouble to find out what really makes a horse tick? Admitted, there are stupid horses just as there are stupid people, but
Category:

Whenever three or more persons in any locality are interested in rifle or revolver shooting, a club can generally be organized and additional members secured. If the business affairs are properly and conservatively managed, much pleasure will result for t
Category:

When laying out a garden on a piece of sloping ground, one will almost invariably be confronted with the problem of what to do with the banks which of necessity will be formed. Use this article to help you figure out what to do with your space!
Category:

Volleyball has the potential for so much spirit and fun and it's just a matter of knowing how to incorporate these things into the game in order to take your volleyball experience to the next level.
Category:

Other links at Recreation & Sports
The Barcelona F1 Grand Prix threw the drivers' championship wide open. And the city provided a perfect base for a weekend of sport and sightseeing.
Category:

Swimming has been around as long as people have been on earth and where ever there is water people are going to be swimming. It was first done in Egypt and then just started getting more and more popular and we have the sport as we have it today.
Category:

A look at why sponsors and merchandise companies will be hoping the new Formula 1 season will be the most exciting for years.
Category:

This article discusses where gymnastics got its start and how the sport has evolved over the centuries.
Category:

The world's toughest horse race is back, 40 runners will jump 30 fences and race over four miles at the awesome Aintree track, half of them will never make it to the finishing post.
Category:




Site Sponsor
Directory Statistics

Articles: 68252
Categories: 501

Yahoo Entertainment
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional   Valid CSS