In the Beginning

This church window in Stoke Poages, England, is one of the earliest (1637) representations of two wheeled - human powered transport. It has also been suggested that Leonardo da Vinci had the idea for this form of human-powered transportation. In terms of a practicable device the history starts in the late 1700's with the advent of the "Hobby Horse" in Paris in 1791.

From: R. J. Way, "The Bicycle," Hamylin 1973

The Hobby Horse was also known as a Velocipede, Draisine, Swift Walker, or Dandy Horse. A photograph of one at the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC) is shown on the next page.