plimpton, a new york inventor with greater aspirations for the roller skate. in 1863, he pantened what we know now as the modern roller skate. by adding two axels, it allowed skaters to lean one way or another to steer. plimpton called them the "rocker skates" and turned his eye to making them a popular way to spend time. after clearing out a floor at his furniture store and leasing out skates for a couple years, he helped found the "new york roller skating association." with promotion of the hobby or sport being its priority, the newly-formed n.y.r.s.a. headed out of town to form the first public roller skating rink in the united states. on august 11, 1866, the association headed to newport, rhode island and rented out a floor of a resort hotel called "the atlantic house." they converted the dining room into an area to skate and armed with plimpton's skates, starting renting the wheels out to anyone who wanted to give it a try. it was the birth of the modern roller rink, the place americans have been falling on their butts for more than 150 years. as the u.s.