April 22, 1823 British inventor Robert John Tyers patents an in-line roller skate he calls the “Volito“, with a single row of 5 wooden wheels, a wooden sole, and a curved iron bar at the front as a rudimentary brake. Before the invention of indoor rinks, ice skaters turned to the Volito when they needed to practice and didn’t have access to ice. This in-line skate consisted of a wooden sole, a single row of five wooden wheels, and a curved iron bar at the front that served as a rudimentary brake. What made the Volito superior to other models, however, was the unequal size of its wheels, larger at the center and smaller at the ends. This simple modification allowed the skater to execute turns more easily.
