Illustration
A model of the pedal bicycle invented by the Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick Macmillan (1812-1878) in 1839. There had been earlier two-wheeled vehicles, but these were not powered by turning the pedals with one's feet. Macmillan's bicycle had no gears so the rear wheel was made slightly larger than the front wheel. The famous 'penny-farthing' bicycle, popular from the 1870s, took this idea even further and had a significant difference in size between the two wheels. Bicycles soon became popular and allowed people of modest means to travel further than they could otherwise.
Science Museum, London.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
London, S. M. (2023, April 18). Early Pedal Bycycle. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17298/early-pedal-bycycle/
Chicago Style
London, Science Museum,. "Early Pedal Bycycle." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 18, 2023. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17298/early-pedal-bycycle/.
MLA Style
London, Science Museum,. "Early Pedal Bycycle." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 18 Apr 2023. Web. 21 Feb 2025.
