Worlds first three-wheel bicycle
It is heartening to note that as early as the 1600s, people were experimenting with three-wheeled bicycles for people with disabilities.
The oldest known three-wheeled bicycle (the tricycle) was built in 1655 by the German watchmaker Stephan Farffler.
Farffler had a disability and designed the hand-powered vehicle so he could get around independently. His invention is now considered an important precursor to both the modern bicycle and the wheelchair.
Key milestones in the tricycle’s history:
• 1700s: French inventors began experimenting with pedal-powered versions.
• 1870s: The modern tricycle for adults was further developed in Great Britain. Pioneer James Starley launched well-known models such as the Coventry Lever Tricycle (1876) and the Coventry Rotary (1877).
• 20th century: Around the turn of the century and through the mid-20th century, the focus shifted, and the tricycle evolved into the toy and children’s bicycle we know today.
The oldest known three-wheeled bicycle (the tricycle) was built in 1655 by the German watchmaker Stephan Farffler.
Farffler had a disability and designed the hand-powered vehicle so he could get around independently. His invention is now considered an important precursor to both the modern bicycle and the wheelchair.
Key milestones in the tricycle’s history:
• 1700s: French inventors began experimenting with pedal-powered versions.
• 1870s: The modern tricycle for adults was further developed in Great Britain. Pioneer James Starley launched well-known models such as the Coventry Lever Tricycle (1876) and the Coventry Rotary (1877).
• 20th century: Around the turn of the century and through the mid-20th century, the focus shifted, and the tricycle evolved into the toy and children’s bicycle we know today.
56-60, M