John Josep Merlin, possibly by Gainsborough

If you think about it, it makes sense that roller skates were invented in Holland. After all, that was the land of ice skating on frozen canals, and putting wheels on your shoes was a great way to ice skate in the summer.

Hendrick Avercamp, Ice Skating Near a Village c 1610 courtesy nga.gov

The first known inventor/improver of the roller skate was a Belgian named John Joseph Merlin (1735 – 1803). He was a mechanic by training, who concentrated on musical instruments, invalid chairs, and mechanical chariots. He moved from France to England in 1760, and soon after arriving in London, he decided to stage a dramatic entrance at a fancy masquerade party. He arrived wearing a pair of his metal-wheeled boots and playing the violin. But he hadn’t invented a way to turn or stop on his roller skates, and so he crashed into a large mirror lining the rear wall of the room, breaking the mirror and rather severely injuring himself.

http://www.rollerskatingmuseum.com/homework.html
Reader’s Digest Everyday Life Through the Ages http://www.rc.umd.edu/gallery/john-joseph-merlin-the-celebrated-mechanic