The Bicycle: 200 Years On Two Wheels
by The History Press /
2017 / English / PDF
69.3 MB Download
Baron Karl Drais introduced the first two-wheeled self-propelled
vehicle in the summer of 1817, calling it the "dandy horse." Two
hundred years later, that same concept has democratized travel
like no other means of transportation, granting women new-found
freedoms and offering ordinary people an affordable means of
travel all over the world. The mechanically powered velocipede
took off in the 1860s, followed by the iconic penny-farthing, but
the golden age of cycling arrived with the late 19th century, as
people relished the freedoms afforded by self-powered travel, and
cycle touring became a popular pastime. Today cycling is a global
phenomenon both in professional sporting and non-professional
spheres. This book traces the bicycle’s revolutionary 200-year
story, from its important role in wartime to the high-tech age of
the velodrome.
Baron Karl Drais introduced the first two-wheeled self-propelled
vehicle in the summer of 1817, calling it the "dandy horse." Two
hundred years later, that same concept has democratized travel
like no other means of transportation, granting women new-found
freedoms and offering ordinary people an affordable means of
travel all over the world. The mechanically powered velocipede
took off in the 1860s, followed by the iconic penny-farthing, but
the golden age of cycling arrived with the late 19th century, as
people relished the freedoms afforded by self-powered travel, and
cycle touring became a popular pastime. Today cycling is a global
phenomenon both in professional sporting and non-professional
spheres. This book traces the bicycle’s revolutionary 200-year
story, from its important role in wartime to the high-tech age of
the velodrome.