Ice skating may have been invented in Europe several millennia ago, but it isn’t known who made the first skates. There is evidence that ice skates were invented in Finland over four thousand years ago. The Finns would have saved a lot of energy and time by having skates available for their long winter journeys. In addition, the many lakes in Finland made skating an easy sport to learn. That’s not to say that the Nordic countries didn’t invent the sport.
The earliest ice skates had bone blades that were strapped to leather soles, which made it difficult to get forward momentum. Skaters also had to carry long sticks to push off and brake. As the sport became more popular, people began to replace the bones with wooden skates. In addition to wooden skates, ice skates also gained a curl that prevented people from tripping while skating. Later, strong bindings were developed.
In 1879, Jackson Haines combined ice skating and dance. He began to perform figures to music. In 1865, he toured Europe to find an audience. In Sweden, Norway, and Russia, Haines was applauded for his performance. Haines later added spins to his routines. Eventually, the sport became popular worldwide. So who invented ice skating? Find out more in our ice skating history article below.
The sport of ice skating began in southern Finland and gained popularity in the Fens in England. It’s not known who invented it, but there are several theories as to where the sport originated. However, the first known account of figure skating appeared in the year 1772. This form of skating evolved separately from speed skating and ice dancing. The popularity of skating led to the development of other types of ice sports, including ice hockey, ice dance, and figure skating.
The sport of ice skating traces its origins to a man named Axel Paulsen. He invented the axel while wearing speed skates. And he never imagined that someone would do quadruple jumps on ice! But Yuzuru Hanyu did it! And so, it’s a great tribute to Haines’ genius. Just as he never imagined that someone could do four quadruple jumps on ice, he did.
The sport of ice skating originated in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1867. The first skates were born there, and the sport quickly spread across the United States and Canada. John Forbes of Dartmouth, New-Scotland, was credited with the invention of the sport. He had a simple lever that adjusts the speed. Then he came up with a new way to balance an object, the leaf spring.
