Who invented the bicycle - German von Dres or Russian Artamonov?

It often happens that the Russians, overtaking the inhabitants of other countries, forget about the trifle - to record the fact of such anticipation, to document it, having issued the necessary patents and author's certificates. The whole world knows that the first radio was made by Marconi. And who invented the bicycle? How, you do not know? Well, of course, Baron von Drese! These Germans are so clever, so ingenious ...

Here it is, the world's first documented sample of a bicycle. The photo shows that the frame is wooden, there is a steering wheel and a soft seat. In general, if you look from afar, then there is some resemblance to modern two-wheeled horses, but more like a sidewall of a cart, cut off from the rest of it. Nevertheless, he is in the museum, the fact is there. The inventor himself in 1817 called it a walking machine, and following modern technical concepts and analogues, such a mechanism could be called a scooter.

Information that can now be called a legend: a certain serf Artamonov from Nizhny Tagil in 1801 came up with a two-wheeled metal pedal mechanism with a steering and tested it, after traveling about two thousand versts from St. Petersburg to Verkhoturye. The average speed was ten kilometers per hour, it was achieved due to the front wheel, which had a larger diameter than the rear. After this run and the demonstration on Khodynka, the motor vehicle was included in a collection of rare and outlandish items, the serf received a reward of freedom and some money, and this amusing incident was later forgotten. Is it worth remembering now who invented the bicycle?

But progress does not stand still, and it is necessary to give due to the European craftsmen - they did not borrow any technical ideas from Artamonov. They honestly tried to invent a bicycle. Inventors simply can not be accused of plagiarism, because the muscular vehicle that was presented in Paris in seven years had no steering control , as well as pedals. Despite such individual design flaws, the invention produced a furore. About who invented the bicycle in France, the story, by the way, is also silent. Wishing to ride on two wheels, pushing themselves with their feet, it was more than enough. It was then that the name arose, consisting of two Latin words meaning "speed" and "feet."

Now again about who invented the bicycle, about Baron Carl Drese. His offspring favorably differed from the primitive French crafts by the presence of steering control. This fundamental innovation allowed to crown him with a laurel crown of priority.

Later, in thirty-five to forty years, the Germans were already confidently leading the bicycle industry. Fisher thought of still put the pedals on the crank mechanism. The front wheel is made to make big for speeding. Such a kinematic scheme received the conventional name "spider", and in essence it was the same, Artamonov's layout.

Now it does not matter who invented the bicycle. Despite the simplicity of the design, it gave impetus to the development of pneumatic tires, which soon began to be installed on cars. This time, the English, Thomson and Dunlop, invented and applied them for bicycle wheels. True, even here it was not without ours: the inventor Ivanov proposed to make a camera and a tire separately.