Good morning, class. Today we're going to discuss the history of the bicycle. Now, many people think the bicycle was invented in the 19th century, but in fact, early prototypes appeared much earlier. The first known two-wheeled vehicle, called a 'velocipede', was created in 1817 by a German inventor. However, it had no pedals; riders pushed their feet against the ground to move. It wasn't until the 1860s in France that pedals were attached to the front wheel. Interestingly, the modern chain-driven bicycle with two equal-sized wheels didn't become popular until the late 1880s, after improvements in safety and comfort were made.