A bike was once the latest innovation. How did people like it?
As counter-intuitive as it sounds, the most summer-friendly vehicle was unknown to people before the 19th (nineteenth!) century. This makes bicycles younger than electric batteries, steamboats, or sewing machines.
The two-wheeled vehicle is one of those developed for a reason rather than by an accident. And that reason was …food shortage.
The lack of food would, of course, bring about health issues but it would also negatively impact the number of horses one could afford although they were the main mean of transportation.
☝️A solution came from a forestry master in Mannheim who by his nature was extremely curious about science, mathematics, and engineering (more curious than about his status of Baron and royal connections).
Not a huge deal from today’s perspective, it was a great achievement for the summer of 1817 – it became possible to get to a destination two times faster than on foot with not a single horse involved!
A velocipede race at Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris. Image from Genty, Rue St. Jacques, N° 33 (1818). Image by unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
While some newspapers shared general excitement around the two-wheeled transport, others were making their best at criticising the invention and mocking down its creator (and sure, no one was yet allowed to mention potential savings on horse costs). Evil tongues were laughing at the "running machine" as...
Also in the story
- the reasons of the food shortage
- some of the first bicycle models and their pirate copies
- complaints about the first bicycles
- reaction by public audience, media, and authorities
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