雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Today we're going to discuss the history of the bicycle. Although many people assume the bicycle was invented in the 19th century, its earliest ancestor actually appeared in 1817, when a German inventor created a two-wheeled wooden frame with no pedals. This machine, called a 'hobby horse,' was pushed along by the rider's feet. Later, in the 1860s, pedals were attached to the front wheel, but riding was very uncomfortable because of the solid rubber tires. It wasn't until the 1880s that the 'safety bicycle' with a chain drive and two equal-sized wheels became popular, making cycling accessible to a wider range of people.