Karl von Drais and his laufmaschine

On the picture, we can see baron, and inventor, Karl von Drais with his most popular invention. The so-called running machine.

Sketches of bicycles were found as early as the 16th century by the hand of a student of Leonardo da Vinci, but the invention of Karl Drais is considered to be the first verifiable bicycle.

The bike that was patented in 1818 did not have pedals and was operated by running. It was the result of Drais his brainstorm to find an alternative to horse riding.

Even though it was considered dangerous for a while and some governments even banned the transportation method, later it served as a base for the bicycle as we know it today.