雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to look at the history of the bicycle. Now, you might think that the bicycle was invented in the 19th century, but in fact, the first two-wheeled vehicle, called a draisine, appeared in 1817 in Germany. It 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, creating the velocipede. However, it was not until the 1880s that the chain-driven 'safety bicycle' with equal-sized wheels became popular, making cycling much safer and more accessible to the general public. So, while early designs were important, it was the safety bicycle that truly revolutionized personal transport.