雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning. Today we're going to discuss the history of the bicycle. While many people credit the 19th-century inventors for its creation, the first two-wheeled vehicle actually appeared in 1817, invented by a German baron named Karl von Drais. His machine, called the 'draisine', had no pedals; riders pushed their feet against the ground to move. Later, in the 1860s, pedals were added to the front wheel in France. Interestingly, the iconic high-wheeled 'penny-farthing' became popular in the 1870s, but it was dangerous because riders sat high above the ground. It wasn't until the 1880s that the safety bicycle, with two equal-sized wheels and a chain drive, made cycling accessible to the general public.