Roller skating is a fun activity that kids and adults of all ages have loved for many years. That the first time roller skates were used was in a play in London in 1743 is hard to believe!

John Joseph Merlin, who lived in London in 1760, is credited with making the first skates. Roller skates have changed a lot since then!

It became popular to roller skate as a hobby in the US in 1935. There were roller skating rinks with disco music before the 1970s, but that’s when it really took off. It looked like everyone was excited to skate and dance to the music!

Let’s go back in time and remember when we used to roller skate. Remember those tough metal skates that you could put on your shoes? In their day, they were a big part of fashion. If you were a skater before the 1970s, you may also remember the famous skate key.

This copper-colored thing was an important part of roller skates for everyone. It might look like a bottle opener or some other tool at first glance, but it’s actually a skate key. By putting the skate key into the back of the pair, you could change the size of your skates. Most skaters wore the key around their necks to make sure they didn’t lose it. What it did was a small but important part of roller skating.

Some people have even written songs about skate keys because they were so important to roller skating. These items remind us of a time when roller skating was a beloved sport that brought people together and made memories.

Do you still remember your skate keys? Tell us about your skating adventures on our Facebook page. Let’s send this fun blast from the past to other people who may have lovely memories of roller skating and skate keys.