The oldest pair of skates known date back
to about 3000 B.C., found at the bottom of a lake inSwitzerland. The
skates were made from the leg bones of large animals, holes were bored
at each end of the bone and leather straps were used to tie the skates
on. An old Dutch word for skate is “schenkel” which means “leg bone”.
Around the 14th Century, the Dutch
started using wooden platform skates with flat iron bottom runners. The
skates were attached to the skater’s shoes with leather straps.
Poles were used to propel the skater.
Around 1500, the Dutch added a narrow metal double edged blade, making
the poles a thing of the past, as the skater could now push and glide
with his feet (called the “Dutch Roll”).
In 1848, E. V. Bushnell ofPhiladelphia, PA invented the first all steel clamp for skates.
In 1865, Jackson Haines, a famous
American skater, developed the two plate all metal blade. The blade was
attached directly to Haines’ boots.
The skater became famous for his new
dance moves, jumps and spins. Haines added the first toe pick to skates
in the 1870′s, making toe pick jumps possible.
The first artificial ice rink
(mechanically-refrigerated) was built in 1876, atChelsea, London,England
and was named the Glaciarium. It was built near the King’s Road
inLondon by John Gamgee.
In 1914, John E. Strauss, a blade maker
fromSt. Paul, Minnesota, invented the first closed toe blade made from
one piece of steel, making skates lighter and stronger.
The largest outdoor ice rink is the
Fujikyu Highland Promenade Rink inJapan, built in 1967 and boasts an ice
area of 165,750 square feet– equal to 3.8 acres.
