Baron von drais biography

In 1817 German inventor Karl Drais invented the Laufmaschine ("running machine"), later called the velocipede, draisine (English) or "draisienne" (French), or nick-named, dandy horse. This incorporated the two-wheeler principle that is basic to the bicycle and motorcycle and represented the beginning of mechanized personal transportation. Drais took his first recorded ride on the Laufmachine from Mannheim to Rheinau, now a suburb of Mannheim on June 12, 1817.

"The dandy-horse was a two-wheeled vehicle, with both wheels in-line, propelled by the rider pushing along the ground with the feet as in regular walking or running. The front wheel and handlebar assembly was pivoted to allow steering.

"Several manufacturers in France and England made their own dandy-horses during its brief popularity in the summer of 1819 -- most notably, Denis Johnson of London, who used an elegantly curved wooden frame which allowed the use of larger wheels. Riders preferred to operate their vehicles on the smooth pavements instead of the rough roads, but their interactions with pedestrians caused many municipalities to enact laws prohibiting their use. A further drawback of this device was that it had to be made to measure, manufactured to conform with the height and the stride of its rider, as none of its manufacturers are known to have built an adjustable version. After its brief moment in the limelight, the dandy-horse quickly faded into oblivion.

"However, in the 1860s in France, the vélocipède bicycle was created by attaching rotary cranks and pedals to the front-wheel hub of a dandy-horse" (Wikipedia article on Dandy horse, accessed 04-25-2009).

… invented the precursor of the bicycle in Mannheim?

That Carl Benz built the first car of the world in Mannheim might now be known even in Swabia and in the United States, where sometimes the contrary is claimed. What hardly anyone knows is that in the “city of squares” many other ingenious inventors worked on their inventions that had a long-lasting impact on the mobility of the people.

One of these thought leaders without a doubt was Baron Karl von Drais (1785-1851). His most important invention is perceived today as the “big bang” of modern individual transportation and had its baptism of fire between Mannheim and Schwetzingen in 1817—the “draisine”. When hearing this term, many inevitably think of the rail cars used on many disused railway tracks. These vehicles, however, have only one thing in common with Drais’ masterpiece: They are driven by muscle power.

His “velocipede,” however, used to be a single-tracked, two-wheeled vehicle made of wood. Sitting on the seat, the driver could comfortably gain thrust by pushing his feet against the ground. What sounds rather trivial from today’s perspective, used to be a ground-braking invention in Goethe’s time. Since the only means for faster transportation at that time was the horse. Crop failures as a result of the disastrous volcanic eruption in Indonesia in 1816 lead to a sudden increase in animal feed prices in the “summer without sun” with a sky overcast by ash clouds. Alternatives were sought for, and thus the time was right for the breakthrough of the bicycle principle invented by Drais.

Unfortunately, it was for Drais as for many other visionaries. He never amassed wealth with his idea. After the revolution had failed in Baden, the authorities cut Drais’ pensions so that he died penniless. His legacy to humankind though is priceless: The bicycle—a further enhancement of the “draisine”—is the most frequently used means of transportation throughout the world.

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An invention with a great history - and even greater future

The baron Drais would have been delighted: June 3rd is the World Day of the Bicycle . With this the United Nations pay tribute to the "uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle". For two centuries - in other words, since Karl von Drais' first trip with his "walking machine" in Mannheim - it has been a „simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation“, according to the UN. With the World Day, it also wants to emphasize that the needs of cyclists and pedestrians "continue to be overlooked" in many places.

There is no question that cycling has considerable social, economic and environmental benefits. Around half of all inner-city car journeys are under five kilometres long. According to estimates by the German Ministry of Transport, 7.5 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved each year if the bicycle were used instead of the car for 30 percent of car journeys in cities under six kilometres.

The World Cycling Day is therefore intended on the one hand to draw attention to the increasing traffic problems caused by motorised means of transport, but on the other hand to celebrate the bicycle as an environmentally friendly and healthy means of transport.

The Flying Baron

Let's look back at the origins of the bike on World Bicycle Day. Everything began in the German region of Kurpfalz. The citizens of Mannheim were quite astonished on that 12th June 1817: Someone roared through their streets on a wooden frame with two wheels, without any horses at all! Karl Freiherr (Baron) von Drais introduced them to his latest invention: a "walking machine". It was the first steerable, muscle-powered two-wheeler and thus the direct predecessor of our bicycle of today.

On this summer day, Drais rode with his „running machine“ the almost 15 kilometres long distance from Mannheim to

German inventor

Karl Freiherr von Drais (full name: Karl Friedrich Christian Ludwig Freiherr Drais von Sauerbronn; 29 April 1785 – 10 December 1851) was a noble German forest official and significant inventor in the Biedermeier period. He was born and died in Karlsruhe. He is seen as "the father of the bicycle".

Bicycle

Drais was a prolific inventor, who invented the Laufmaschine ("running machine"), also later called the velocipede, draisine (English) or draisienne (French), also nicknamed the hobby horse or dandy horse. This was his most popular and widely recognized invention. It incorporated the two-wheeler principle that is basic to the bicycle and motorcycle and was the beginning of mechanized personal transport. This was the earliest form of a bicycle, without pedals.

His first reported ride from Mannheim to the "Schwetzinger Relaishaus" (a coaching inn, located in "Rheinau", today a district of Mannheim) took place on 12 June 1817 using Baden's best road. Karl rode his bike; it was a distance of about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi). The round trip took him a little more than an hour but may be seen as the big bang for horseless transport. However, after marketing the velocipede, it became apparent that roads were so rutted by carriages that it was hard to balance on the machine for long, so velocipede riders took to the pavements (sidewalks) and moved far too quickly, endangering pedestrians. Consequently, authorities in Germany, Great Britain, the United States, and even Calcutta banned its use, which ended its vogue for decades.