Being a bicycle lover, I sometimes nerd out on all things related to bicycle history. My bookshelf at home has an impressive bicycle section containing hundreds of photographs and articles detailing old-fashioned bikes. When cruising through one of my heavy coffee table bicycle books last weekend, I found a beautiful picture of a penny-farthing. Like any modern-day bicycle enthusiast, I was amazed at the fact that people used to ordinarily ride such a mechanism. With its humongous front wheel and tiny rear wheel, it was quite a curious mode of transportation. Intrigued, I set out to research the history of the penny-farthing.
In 1869, a Frenchman, Eugene Meyer, invented the first “high wheeler,” also known as the penny-farthing. The main purpose of this invention was to make bicycles faster. Although Meyer invented what is known to be the first version of the penny-farthing, a Brit named James Starley perfected and became famous for the design in 1877.
Penny-farthings grew popular in the late 19th century due to the speed they could achieve because of the large front wheel. They could reach speeds up to 40 kilometers which was much faster than the older bicycles of that time (called boneshakers). However, penny-farthings were difficult to manipulate… read more >
