---------------------------------
The earliest ice skating began about 4,000 years ago in Finland. The first skates were flattened bone that was strapped to the bottom of the foot. In the 13th Century, the Dutch invented steel blades with edges. In the Netherlands, all classes of people skated. Ice skating was a way people traveled over the canals in the winter months. James II introduced ice skating to the British aristocracy in the late 1600s. Queen Victoria also enjoyed ice skating.
- History of Ice Skates - From About.com Inventors
