Mo Rocca meets with curator of transportation Matt Anderson to learn about the history of bicycles.

The earliest predecessor to the bicycle started in 1817 with the Draisine. German Karl von Drais invented the draisine in 1817. Operators of this human-powered vehicle sat astride a wooden rail and pushed off with their feet. This early velocipede caught the public's attention, but its novelty soon wore off. A number of substantial improvements, made many years later, were needed before this running machine would evolve into a modern bicycle.

Fifty years after the Draisine fad, the Ordinary bicycle, or High-Wheel bicycle, took off. Shortly after, the safety bicycle was invented in contrast to the high-wheel. The safety bicycle set the stage for modern-day bicycle we still use today. Introduced in the late 1880s, it was much easier to mount and dismount and safer to use. It also introduced chain-drive pedal power to the rear wheel.

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Visit thf.org/collections to discover the vintage bicycles in the collections of The Henry Ford.

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