Herdtle & Bruneau

Herdtle & Bruneau was a French maker of motorcycles. In 1905 they introduced motorized roller skates to the public. Each skate contained a 1 hp motor; controls could then be affixed to the skater's belt, and would be linked via flexible cables to the skates. Top speed for the contraption was said to be a brakeless convert|66|km/h|mi/h|0|abbr=on. Unsurprisingly, the idea did not catch on, and the line of motorized skates was discontinued by the end of the year.

References

*David Burgess Wise, "The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles"