Today we're going to discuss the history of the bicycle. Now, many people assume the bicycle was invented in the 19th century, but its earliest form, the draisine, appeared in 1817. However, it had no pedals. The first pedal-powered bicycle was introduced in the 1860s in France. Interestingly, the modern safety bicycle, with two equal-sized wheels and a chain drive, was developed in England in the 1880s. This design became popular quickly because it was safer and easier to ride than the earlier penny-farthing. So, while France contributed the pedals, England gave us the safe design we still use today.
❓ According to the lecture, what was the main advantage of the safety bicycle over earlier models?