The bicycle
The first two-wheeled, bicycle-like vehicle was invented 200 years ago by
Baron Karl von Drais. It had a wooden frame, handlebars, a saddle and two wooden wheels, but no gears or pedals – riders had to push the contraption forwards with their feet. It was known by many different names including the Draisine (after its inventor), the running machine and the hobby horse. By the 1860s, bicycles looked a bit more like they do today: pedals, gears and steel wheels had been added to Drais’s original design. It’s not completely clear who can take the credit for first putting pedals on the bicycle frame, but the new and improved hobby horse was a hit.