Now You See It, Now You Don't!

TellZall's object for May is the Roller Skate

Do you recognize this object? If you rummage around some basements or flea markets, you may encounter one, for they are not rare. Indeed, not so long ago, children often attached one to a string and carried it around the neck. The device is a skate key, and it was used to attach roller skates to shoes.

The skater placed his or her shoe on the metal platform, tightened a leather strap around the ankle, and used the skate key to tighten clamps that grasped the soles of the shoes at the toe. The skate key also incorporated a wrench, or wrenches, that were used to adjust the skate to the user's size and make other adjustments.

No one is certain who first thought of putting wheels on the feet. In eighteenth century Europe, skates with wheels placed fore and aft were popular, though difficult to use. In 1823 Englishman Robert J. Tyers received a patent for an inline skate that attached to shoes. While workable, the skates were not very popular.

In 1863 James L. Plimpton, a Massachusetts-born machinist living in New York City, attached two parallel sets of wheels to shoes, a design that worked well. The design caught on, and in the 1880s, Micajah C. Henley began manufacturing such skates in Richmond, Indiana. By 1884 his "Chicago Skate" was selling at a rate of 15,000 per week. The skates were held to the shoes with straps and featured wooden platforms upon which the wheels were attached.

The final ingredients in the "modern" skate - the iron platform and the screw-tightening toe clamps - were added by the J. H. Fenton Company of Chicago. The toe clamps also announced the arrival of the skate key, an inexpensive, stamped iron device that worked well.

The 1890s saw a roller skating craze, and roller rinks were built throughout the United States. Specialized skates featured boots with wheels permanently attached. With ball bearings and wooden or composite wheels, such skates were nimble and fast.

On playgrounds, sidewalks, and streets, where such skates would quickly fail, kids wore rugged steel-wheeled skates. The skates were durable and easy to use. Skating was not only fun, it got you somewhere quickly. And skates were less expensive than a bicycle and easier to carry or store.

In the 1980s a new type of skate with inline wheels made their appearance and became wildly popular in short order. While still made, the old, reliable steel skates and their accompanying skate keys were relegated to the basement, attic, or thrift store.