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birdienlYou might have heard that at the Olympics this weekend, the Dutchies won no less than 4 speed skating medals (gold, silver AND bronze at the men's 5 km and gold at the women's 3 km). So some skating related information seemed like an apt topic for this meme.
Archeological evidence has proven that people already tried to cross frozen surfaces by skating in the prehistoric era. In many areas of Europe sharpened bones were found, thought to be from around 3000 BC. These bones, often from horses or deer, were punctured and strapped to the feet with tendons or leather strips. In this way, people could glide across the ice, although they also often used a stick to move themselves forward. These types of skates were used until as late as the 1700s.
'Real' skates with iron blades were probably made for the first time around 1200 in what is now The Netherlands or Belgium. The oldest pair ever found dates from 1225, from the Dutch city of Dordrecht, but drawings of people skating point to an earlier invention of skates with a steel blade.
Archeological evidence has proven that people already tried to cross frozen surfaces by skating in the prehistoric era. In many areas of Europe sharpened bones were found, thought to be from around 3000 BC. These bones, often from horses or deer, were punctured and strapped to the feet with tendons or leather strips. In this way, people could glide across the ice, although they also often used a stick to move themselves forward. These types of skates were used until as late as the 1700s.
'Real' skates with iron blades were probably made for the first time around 1200 in what is now The Netherlands or Belgium. The oldest pair ever found dates from 1225, from the Dutch city of Dordrecht, but drawings of people skating point to an earlier invention of skates with a steel blade.
