雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to talk about the history of the bicycle. Now, many people believe that the bicycle was invented in the 19th century, but actually, the first two-wheeled vehicle, called a 'velocipede', appeared in France in the 1790s. However, it had no pedals and was pushed along by the rider's feet. The first pedal-driven bicycle was developed in Scotland in 1839 by a blacksmith named Kirkpatrick Macmillan. But it wasn't until the 1880s that the modern safety bicycle, with two equal-sized wheels and a chain drive, became popular, especially after John Dunlop invented the pneumatic tire in 1888, which made riding much more comfortable. So, the key innovation that made cycling widely accessible was the air-filled tire.