Wendy Steabman, age 7, of Huntsville, Ala., for her question:
WHO INVENTED THE BICYCLE?
A wooden scooter like vehicle called a celerifere was the world's first bicycle. It was invented in 1790 by a Frenchman named Comte Mede de Sivrac.
An improved model, called a draisine and invented in 1816 by a German named Baron Karl von Drais, had a steering bar connected to the front wheel.
Foot pedals were added to the draisine in 1839 by a Scottish blacksmith named Kilpatrick Macmillan. A French carriage maker named Pierre Lallement took out the first United States patent on a pedal bicycle in 1866.
The high wheeler, or penny farthing as it was also called, came along in the 1870s. This model had a huge front wheel and a small rear wheel. The front wheel of some bicycles were five feet high. Each turn of the pedals turned the big wheel around once, so the bike traveled a long distance on each turn of the pedals.
In England in 1885 a manufactuer named J. K. Starley produced the first commercially successful safety bicycle. In this model, both wheels were the same size, which made it easier and safer to ride than the high wheeler.
In Starley's bicycle, pedals drove the rear wheel by means of a chain and sprockets, as they do on today's bicycles.
Air filled rubber tires came along to improve the bicycle in 1890 and it wasn't too long after that that the coaster brake and adjustable handle bar were added.
An early form of the modern bicycle gear shaft was introduced soon after 1900.
Bicycle riding has long been a favorite sport. By 1897, more than 4 million Americans were already riding bicycles regularly.
Today, more than 75 million Americans ride bicycles. In many cities, special bikeways have been set aside for cyclists on streets and in parks.
Ever since the Olympic Games of 1896, bicycle racing has been one of the most popular and important events. There are two chief kinds of bicycle races: track races and road races.
Track bicycle racers use an oval track that can be up to a quarter of a mile long. The track slopes inward at a steep angle at each end. In the United States, track races can range from a quarter of a mile in length to 100 miles.
Sometimes a track race is between two individuals and other times between teams.
Road races are held on public highways. Any number of cyclists can compete and they cover 50 miles or more.
The annual Tour de France, the world's most famous bicycle road race, has more than 100 contestants and they cover between 2,500 and 3,000 miles during 21 days of racing.