Roller Skating and Skate Keys: A Nostalgic Blast from the Past

Roller skating has been a beloved pastime enjoyed by generations of kids and adults alike. It’s hard to believe that the first use of roller skates was in a London stage performance way back in 1743!

John Joseph Merlin, a London resident in 1760, deserves the credit for inventing the first skates. Roller skates have certainly come a long way since then!

In the United States, roller skating gained popularity as a pastime in 1935. But it wasn’t until the introduction of skating rinks playing disco music in the 1970s that roller skating became a huge trend. It seemed like everyone wanted to hit the rinks and groove to the music!

Speaking of roller skating, let’s take a trip down memory lane. Do you remember those heavy metal skates that you could attach to your shoes? They were quite the fashion statement back in the day. But there’s something else that you might remember if you were a skater before the 1970s – the iconic skate key.

This copper-colored object was an essential accessory for anyone with roller skates. At first glance, it may look like a bottle opener or some kind of tool, but it is actually a skate key. With the skate key, you could adjust the size of your skates by fitting it into the back of the pair. And to make sure they didn’t get lost while skating, most people wore the key around their necks. It was a small but significant part of the roller skating experience.

Skate keys were such an integral part of roller skating that there have even been songs written about them! They symbolize a time when roller skating was a cherished activity, filled with fun and memories.

So, do you remember skate keys? We’d love to hear your skating stories on our Facebook page. Let’s share this delightful blast from the past with others who may have fond memories of roller skating and skate keys too!

Paris Jackson Covered Her Body in Makeup to Hide Her 80+ Tattoos for the Grammys, Here’s Why

Paris Jackson made a stunning impression at the 2024 Grammys with her red carpet look. However, it wasn’t what she wore that caught people’s attention — it was what she didn’t. The daughter of the late Michael Jackson sparked intrigue among fans and observers by being completely free of tattoos, despite being heavily inked, and was questioned about why she chose to hide it all.

Paris Jackson has been getting tattoos for years. She has lots of different designs, like chakra symbols, quotes from books, and symbols inspired by Led Zeppelin. She even has tattoos that match with many of her friends, like Cara Delevingne, and in 2020 she even tried her hand at tattooing by inking herself in the foot.

At the 2024 Grammys, she rocked a strapless black dress with revealing cutouts, making sure to show off her “magic trick” as all her body art seemingly vanished. But why did the model and singer chose to temporarily hide all her 80+ tattoos?

Well, the 25-year-old just wanted to try something completely different and unique, and this was the answer. In a humorous reel posted on Instagram with the question, “Why did Paris cover her tattoos?”, the answer was given by a voice-over clip of Kim Kardashian saying a now popular quote, “Because it’s iconic, and I love to do iconic things.”

But she has Cover Fx to thank for the element of mystery of her look. The cosmetics company took the opportunity to prove the quality of their products, and they partnered with Jackson to create the jaw-dropping transformation.

With celebrity makeup artist Tyson Fountaine was at the helm of the makeover, she became almost unrecognizable. In a time-lapse video, it’s possible to see the look come to life and slowly see the tattoos disappear from her arms, hands and chest, making for an impressive before-and-after.

Celebrities always give us their best looks on red-carpet events. However, with how often they attend them, they’re bound to have to get creative in order to outdo themselves. And well, Margot Robbie surely outdid herself. Ever since she starred in Barbie, she’s been recreating iconic Barbie looks in real life, and it’s fascinating to see!