The Wild History of Roller Skates

The Wild History of Roller Skates An overview of the evolution of dry land skating aka roller skates. Early 1700s - Skeelers In Holland, an unknown Dutchman decided to go ice skating in the summer, ice skating was the widespread method used in the Netherlands to travel the numerous frozen canals in winter. The unknown inventor accomplished dry land skating by nailing wooden spools to strips of wood and attaching them to his shoes. Skeelers was the nickname given to the new dry-land skaters. 1760 - Crashing the Masquerade Party A London instrument maker and inventor, Joseph Merlin, attended a masquerade party wearing one of his new inventions, metal-wheeled boots. Joseph desiring to make a grand entrance added the pizzazz of rolling in while playing the violin. Lining the huge ballroom was a very expensive wall-length mirror. The fiddling skater stood no chance and Merlin crashed solidly into the mirrored wall, as his roller skates crashed into society. 1818 - Roller Ballet In Berlin, roller skates made a more graceful entrance into society, with the premier of the German ballet Der Maler oder die Wintervergn Ugungen (The Artist or Winter Pleasures). The ballet called for ice-skating but because it was impossible at that time to produce ice on a stage, roller skates substituted. 1819 - First Patent In France, the first patent for a roller skate issued to a Monsieur Petibledin. The skate was made of a wood sole that attached to the bottom of a boot, fitted with two to four rollers made of copper, wood or ivory, and arranged in a straight single line. 1823 - The Rolito Robert John Tyers of London patented a skate called the Rolito with five wheels in a single row on the bottom of a shoe or boot. The Rolito was unable to follow a curved path, unlike the in-line skates of today. 1840 - Barmaids on Wheels In a beer tavern known as Corse Halle, near Berlin, barmaids on roller skates served thirsty patrons. This was a practical decision, given the size of beer halls in Germany, which gave dry land skating a publicity boost. 1857 - Public Rinks Huge public rinks opened in the Floral Hall and in the Strand of London. 1863 - Inventor James Plimpton American, James Plimpton found a way to make a very useable pair of skates. Plimptons skates had two parallel sets of wheels, one pair under the ball of the foot and the other pair under the heel. The four wheels were made of boxwood and worked on rubber springs. Plimptons design was the first dry-land skate that could maneuver in a smooth curve. This considered the birth of the modern four-wheeled roller skates, which allowed for turns and the ability to skate backwards. 1884 - Pin Ball-Bearing Wheels The invention of pin ball-bearing wheels made rolling easier and skates lighter. 1902 - The Coliseum The Coliseum in Chicago opened a public skating rink. Over 7,000 people attended the opening night. 1908 - Madison Square Gardens Madison Square Gardens in New York became a skating rink. Hundreds of rink openings in the United States and Europe followed. The sport was becoming very popular and various versions of the roller skating developed: recreational skating on indoor and outdoor rinks, polo skating, ballroom roller dancing and competitive speed skating. 1960s - Plastics Technology (with the advent of new plastics) helped the wheel truly come of age with new designs. 70s 80s - Disco A second big skating boom occurred with the marriage of disco and roller-skating. Over 4,000 roller-discos were in operation and Hollywood began making roller-movies. 1979 - Redesigning Roller Skates Scott Olson and Brennan Olson, brothers and  hockey  players who lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, found an antique pair of roller skates. It was one of the early  skates  that used the in-line wheels rather than the four-wheeled parallel design of George Plimpton. Intrigued by the in-line design, the brothers began redesigning roller skates, taking design elements from the found skates and using modern materials. They used  polyurethane  wheels, attached the skates to ice hockey boots, and added a rubber toe-brake to their new design. 1983 - Rollerblade Inc Scott Olson founded Rollerblade Inc and  the term rollerblading  meant the sport of in-line skating because Rollerblade Inc was the only manufacturer of in-line skates for a long time. The first mass-produced rollerblades, while innovative had some design flaws: they were difficult to put on and adjust, prone to collecting dirt and moisture in the ball-bearings, the wheels were easily damaged and the brakes came from the old roller skate toe-brake and were not very effective. Rollerblade Inc Sold The Olson brothers sold Rollerblade Inc and the new owners had the money to really improve the design. The first massively successful Rollerblade skate was the Lightning TRS. In this pair of  skates  the flaws had vanished, fiberglass was used to produce the frames, the wheels were better protected, the skates were easier to put on and adjust and stronger brakes were placed at the rear. With the success of the Lightning TRS, other in-line skate companies appeared: Ultra Wheels, Oxygen,  K2  and others. 1989 - Macro and Aeroblades Models Rollerblade Inc produced the Macro and Aeroblades models, the first skates fastened with three buckles instead of long laces that needed threading. 1990 - Lighter Skates Rollerblade Inc switched to a glass-reinforced thermoplastic resin (durethan  polyamide) for their skates, replacing the  polyurethane  compounds previously used. This decreased the average weight of skates by nearly fifty percent. 1993 - Active Brake Technology Rollerblade, Inc. developed ABT or Active Brake Technology. A fiberglass post attached at one end to the top of the boot and at the other end to a  rubber-brake,  hinged the chassis at the back wheel. The skater had to straighten one leg to stop, driving the post into the brake, which then hit the ground. Skaters had been tilting their foot back to make contact with the ground, before ABT. The new brake design increased safety. Presently the best way for you to experience the latest inventions in the world of wheels is up-close and personal. Please do so, try in-line skating and keep rolling.

Best Private Schools Offering Summer Experiences

Best Private Schools Offering Summer Experiences Many folks hear the words summer camp and think of living in cabins for a month, swimming in lakes, and participating all kinds of outdoor activities, like archery and ropes courses. Rarely does the phrase summer camp make someone think about an opportunity to prepare for the upcoming school year. ​ On the other hand, many folks hear the words summer school and  think of the stereotypical student who failed a class or needs more credits to graduate. Rarely does the phrase summer school make someone think of a positive summer camp-style experience. What if we told you theres a middle ground? A summer experience thats both fun and educational? Its real. And some of the best private schools in the country are offering students unique educational opportunities that are way more than just your typical classroom experience.   Lets look at a few of the  unexpected opportunities  that you might find at a private schools summer program. Travel the World Summer camp doesnt have to be  limited to only one campsite. Some schools offer summer travel experiences, taking students around the world to experience life away from home. Proctor Academy in New Hampshire offers a summer service opportunity, which takes students to places like Guatemala for two-week sessions. See the World From 30,000 Feet in the Air Thats right, aspiring aviators can attend a summer camp at Randolph-Macon School in Virginia. Students get the chance to participate in a highly specialized program  leading towards taking a solo flight in a Cessna 172.   Space Camp and Sustainability Sustainability is a popular topic at private schools  and is one that has led to several summer camp programs designed to educate students and get them thinking about how we can better serve the planet Earth. One such program exists at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, which offers two different tracks from which students can choose for their summer study. One track focuses on the impact of humans on the earth, while the other takes a new approach to a space camp by exploring both the oceans and space. You even get to take field trips and even launch rockets - and were not just talking about small model rockets!   Learn a New Language For students looking to come to the United States for a boarding school experience, a summer camp can be a great way to master their English language skills. ELL/ESL students can often greatly benefit from these highly specialized summer classes that are often several weeks long and designed to immerse students in an English language environment. This not only helps participants to master their speaking, reading, and writing skills, but also gives them a preview of what dorm life is like, making the adjustment to boarding school in the fall a little easier. Some schools even offer an accelerated program, like New Hampton School in New Hampshire.   Get a Competitive Edge in Athletics Aspiring athletes, especially those looking to improve their skills in order to play varsity sports at private school, can benefit from a summer camp focused on athletics. Starting to participate in these camps during middle school can be a great way for high school coaches to see a student athletes drive and potential, which means building relationships with the school even before the admission season arrives. Athletic camps are available for the more novice student-athletes, as well, helping those players still learning the game to prepare to play on a sports team at a  private school for the first time. Baylor School in Tennessee offers a camp that meets the needs of both the competitive athlete and the recreational athlete.   Perfect a Creative Craft Young artists can find numerous private schools that offer creative summer camp experiences, ranging from drama and dance to music and drawing. And, some of the best private school programs even offer creative writing and literary-focused programs, as well as digital photography and animation courses. The opportunities for creative expression are endless, and the levels of experience can vary. While some schools, like the Putney School in Vermont, offer a wide variety of workshops for artists of all experience levels and interests, other schools take a more specialized approach. The Idyllwild Arts Academy in California offers intensive two-week programs as part of the  Idyllwild Arts Summer Program. These programs can sometimes help students looking to attend competitive art schools for college get a head-start on art portfolios. Try Your Hand at a Non-Traditional Trade Some schools offer incredibly unique programs, like Emma Willards Rosies Girls camp. Drawing inspiration from the fictional character Rosie the Riveter, the boarding school in New York offers girls the chance to experience what its like to work in  carpentry, automotive repair, masonry, and other non-traditional trades.

Select 3 photographs taken in africa about colonial period, that have Essay

Select 3 photographs taken in africa about colonial period, that have common theme, choosing santu mofokeng chasing shadows work - Essay Example Relating this to colonial South Africa where apartheid had taken the better side of the country, historical antecedents justify the thinking that the Black population of the country were vigilantly keeping watch to see when it was all going to be over. As seen in the photograph, the Black man has his eye wide shut because he does not want to miss out on anything or wants to be taken by surprise on an event of the passing apartheid that he may possibly not see. Aesthetic Appreciation Aesthetically, the photograph â€Å"Eyes-wide-shut† is a photograph with much value on the depiction of elements of photography. For example, there is major emphasis on symmetry, where the jacket of the man in the photograph is taken in such a way that gives an equal striking image to the photograph. The same can be said of the positioning of the man, where he is balanced between the spaces left around him on the left and right sides. As far as depth of field is concerned, the photograph is given t wo depths of fields, which are rough and smooth. The smooth depth of field is with the man who is clearly captured as the focus of the photograph. All other people in the background and the background itself are given a rough depth of field by keeping the camera blur on them. Indeed, the way symmetry, balance and depth of field were used helped in giving the central focus of the photograph, the needed emphasis. Critic Even though there is much emphasis on the focus of the photograph in highlighting the theme of vigilance, which was a major topic for the Black community during the apartheid, it would have been much meaningful should the photography had included an element of a White person in the photograph. This is because the knowledge that the apartheid was a racial war between the Whites and the Blacks is common knowledge in history. The eyes that were wide shut could therefore have been made to be shut on a White man for example. This way, the photograph would have been easier t o comprehend and appreciate by a lay person, especially in support of the theme of the photograph. Theme The photograph above is captioned â€Å"Motoulen Landscape with Poplar Trees and Altar†. Rightly by comparing the caption of the photograph to its images, the theme of a fading land becomes trumpeted in the mind of the viewer. This is because poplar trees by themselves are known to be very viable trees in the South African soil. This makes them to have a season round of fresh green leaves and stems in the country. Indeed, the sight and appearance of a poplar tree is that of freshness and hope. But in the photograph, nothing else than a savannah dry land is seen. This is because the poplar tree that was once fresh and blossom has gone dry. Like the result of colonization in South Africa, the freedoms, rights and identities of the ordinary South African was made to go dry due to oppression and suppression at the hands of colonial masters. For the poplar tree to have any hope , it must find itself in the midst of an altar where a religious or divine intervention could possibly make it regain its freshness. Indeed, the South African nation found redemption through the efforts of freedom fighters such as Nelson Mandela. Aesthetic Appreciation Lines are very powerful elements used by the photography in the picture that is presented above. Generally, lines are useful in directing the viewer to the focal point of the photography. Indeed, in the