Roller Skates

Did you know...

Roller Skates have been around for years.

Ahaa but the times have changed...They went from 8 wheels to 3, 4, or 5 in a row ,along with a new name, Blades or In-line skates.

Remember the old roller skates that hooked onto your shoes, you know, the ones that would sometimes come loose and bring us to our knees? We endured a lot of skinned knees and elbows in the name of fun. Once the wheel was invented we wanted to use it in all forms of transportation. Bicycles, tricycles, skates, cars, motorcycles and in any other form we could dream up. Didn't you ever wonder who thought up this device that hooked onto our shoes that you could roll around on?

The first patented roller skate was introduced in Belgian in the year 1760. The inventor was John Joseph Merlin.
But his invention did not become very popular until years later. His grandson Bernard Tyers, aged 13 from Waterford, Ireland was the first person to test the initial prototype of the roller skate.
Then in 1863 James Plimpton from Massachusetts invented the "rocking" skate. It was this improvement of the roller skate that allowed skaters to turn easily around corners, which opened the door for the masses to enjoy roller skating.

Eventually, roller skating evolved from just a pastime to a competitive sport, beginning with roller hockey. This sport became so popular that in 1992 it even made an appearance in the Olympics. The National Sporting Goods Association statistics showed, from a 1999 study, that 2.5 million people played roller hockey. Other roller skating sports include speed skating, figure skating and roller derby. Roller skating popularity exploded during the disco era but tapered off in the 80’s and 90’s. Inside roller rinks spread over the world and it became another fun pastime for the young and old. The roller skates today have the base and wheels made onto a lace up high top or low top shoe.

1743: First recorded use of roller skates, in a London stage performance. The inventor of this skate is lost to history.
1760: First recorded skate invention, by John Joseph Merlin, who demonstrated a primitive inline skate with metal wheels.
1819: First patented roller skate design, in France by M. Petitbled. These early skates were similar to today's inline skates, but they were not very maneuverable; it was very difficult with these skates to do anything but move in a straight line and perhaps make wide sweeping turns.
Rest of the 19th century: inventors continued to work on improving skate design.

An advert for an early 20th century model which fit over ordinary shoes.1863: The four-wheeled turning roller skate, or quad skate, with four wheels set in two side-by-side pairs, was first designed, in New York City by James Leonard Plimpton in an attempt to improve upon previous designs, The skate contained a pivoting action using a rubber cushion that allowed the skater to skate a curve just by leaning to one side. It was a huge success, so much that the first public skating rink was opened in 1866 in Newport, Rhode Island with the support of Plimpton. The design of the quad skate allowed easier turns and maneuverability, and the quad skate came to dominate the industry for more than a century.

$43,000 Dead Bird Shoes

Did you know...
You can wear dead animals on your shoes? But it will cost a bundle.

Would you like to strut around with some real dead animals on your feet? You can now if you can afford the price. Designer Bruno Frisoni for Roger Vivier not only thinks you do, but he's willing to bet that at least some of us are willing to pay through the nose for the privilege. The Dovima, as the shoe is named, is beautiful (and a little creepy) thanks to the rose pink-dyed taxidermy birds perched delicately on each toe. Each stuffed bird also has a crystal-encrusted head and is further complemented by 24 ct gold-coated mesh, silk, ribbons, and crocodile-skin rosettes. Plus every pair comes with special protective crocodile or snakeskin platforms that attach before you wear them to keep the shoes from ever touching the ground. All for just $43,000 and three months of waiting after you order. Will you need to get in line to purchase these shoes? At that price who knows? Some women will be fighting to be the first to wear these creepy shoes. Wonder if we can specify what bird we want on our shoes? What bird would you like perched on your toes?

Ice Cream

Did you know...
No one knows who invented Ice Cream!
Maybe because it has been around for so long no one can take credit for having made this sweet tasting creamy treat. In the beginning it was just flavored ice or snow.
Like the "Icies" or "snowcones" we make today.

The Roman emperor Nero ordered ice to be brought from the mountains and blended it with different fruits. In the 5th century BC, the Greeks mixed ice with honey and fruit, prepared cones of ice and sold them in Athens. Some credit the discovery of Ice Cream to the Chinese who used snow and saltpeter to cool syrups poured into containers. Why salt? Salt brings down the freezing point of ice, this method proved effective in making ice creams. Perhaps, it was the Chinese who eventually brought ice cream to Europe. But no one is sure about that either. So I guess it would be best to say Ice Cream just evolved over time.

In 1533 the Italians are believed to have introduced ice cream recipes in France. As time went on people began to add cream or milk to the mixture to make it smoother.

Even though we will never know who the first person was to make Ice Cream we still enjoy this frozen tasty treat today and in many ways and flavors.

Ice Cream at one time was the choice of the rich and they wanted to keep it a secret. So much so that Charles I of England offered a lifetime pension to his ice cream maker on the condition that the formula for making ice cream would be kept in secrecy. During those times, ice creams were a novelty and remained being a specialty for years to come. The wealthy lot of the society wanted to keep ice creams for themselves only.

In 1718, a recipe for ice cream was published in Mrs. Mary Eales's Receipts.

*Nancy Johnson patented the hand-cranked freezer, thus establishing the widely used method of making ice creams. Hand-cranked Ice Cream Maker
*Jacob Fussell developed a commercial ice cream plant in 1851.
*In 1897, Alfred Cralle introduced an ice cream scoop and mold.

Here's an interesting fact...In the state of Kansas, at one time, it was against the law to serve ice cream on cherry pie. Hummm wonder if it was okay to be served on Apple Pie?

Scorpion Queen

Yes, I know I promised you something else but this just had to be seen by everyone.
These are POISONOUS little creatures that you are seeing here.
Would you take the chance of being stung by living with 5,000 Scorpions for a month or more? I know I sure wouldn't. The sting of one may not kill you but it can make you so sick you may wish it had. Even the thought of them crawling around on my body while trying to eat or sleep gives me the willies! Some people do strange things to get in the news. I wonder why people do things like this.