On 6 January 1863, US Patent No. 37,305 was granted to James Plimpton for an “Improvement in skates“.
Plimpton’s big leap was control, a stable four-wheel 2×2 layout plus a steering linkage that translated the rocking and canting of the foot-stand into turning “like the wheels of a wagon“, so skaters could carve simply by leaning. In other words, it marked the birth of the modern quad roller skate and proved a key spark behind the roller skating boom of the 1860s.
| Country | Kind | No. | Published | Title | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | Patent | 37,305 | 06.01.1863 | Improvement in skates |
Last updated on 18 February 2026