#12: Pedal Skates

It’s a bike! It’s a skate! It’s a… pedal skate? That’s right, this odd-looking footwear is considered an early ancestor of roller skates. This young man is wearing pedal skates, also known as the latest and greatest form of transportation from 1910. These elaborate skates were invented by Charles Nordling.

Nordling patented these skates and marketed them as a more dynamic version of roller skates. Nordling argued that the giant wheels on these things allowed people to exert less energy and force when skating, making the whole experience easier and faster. Sadly, pedal skates never caught on in quite the same way as traditional roller skates. Who knows? There’s still time for these babies to make a comeback.