People have been ice skating for at least 3,000 years and the very earliest blades were fashioned from the metatarsi of horses (though cows were popular too). Skaters strapped the bones onto their feet with leather slipped through chiseled holes - as shown here, minus the 21st century buckle. Most of the ancient skates have been found in the cold northern parts of Europe where lakes cover more than 5 percent of the land.
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