Today we're going to discuss the history of the bicycle. Although many people credit the invention to the 19th century, early prototypes appeared as far back as the 15th century in Italy. However, the first truly practical model, known as the 'draisine', was created by a German baron in 1817. It had no pedals; riders pushed themselves along with their feet. Later, in the 1860s, pedals were added to the front wheel in France. But safety concerns led to the development of the 'safety bicycle' in the 1880s, which featured a chain drive and equal-sized wheels, making it much more stable.