Pedal Skates

From The Atlantic:

"This variation on the classic roller skate was patented by Charles A. Nordling of Suisun, California in August 1913. The primary object of Nordling's contraption was "the provision of a roller skate in which the wheels thereof will be rotated on pedal action by the feet of the user, thereby avoiding the necessity of excessive exertion on the part of the skater." Since the skates required significantly less force, the skater would be less likely to drag his feet or lift the skate from the ground, thus enabling, as Nordling writes in his application, "the production of high speed."