Do you consider rollerblades a successful invention?

Answer 1

The answer to this is really debatable, but in my opinion, no they were not. The first inline rollerblade skates were invented in the 1760s, with the first inline skate patent occurring in 1819. The first pair of skates back in the 1760s were used as a publicity stunt by its creator, but the biggest problem was with stopping. About 50 years after the first patent in 1819 for the inline skate, the quad skate, or traditional roller skate, was developed and became the popular choice. The reason for the great popularity was because the quad skate was much easier to control and stopping was easier.

Some companies continued to make the inline skate version, but they were not taken seriously. It wasn't until 1980 when the Rollerblade company would create the modern version of the inline skate (rollerblade) and the popularity would soar.

Answer 2

Absolutely. Rollerblades really hit the mainstream market in the 1980's and since then have grown to one of the most popular activities across the globe. The history of rollerblades dates back far beyond the 1980's and the constant innovation and new technologies being added to rollerblades year after year makes them a very successful invention in my opinion.