Karl Drais who invented the First Bicycle
Baron Karls Drais von Sauerbronn or Karl Drais was born on 29 April 1785 in Karlsruhe, Germany, recorded as the inventor of the first bicycle. Drais managed to make an important breakthrough which turned out to be the basic layers of the development of the next bike. In 1818, Drais made two-wheeled transportation to support his work more efficient. As the head of a supervisor of Baden forest, he needed high-mobility transportation. The developed model seemed to be still ambiguous between a bicycle and horse-drawn carriage. So the people called Drais invention like a dandy horse.
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His first trip was reported from Mannheim to Schwetzinger Relaishaus and took place on June 12, 1817. In the same year, he made his second trip from Gernsbach to Baden and others. By taking power from both legs, Drais was able to glide faster while traveling. He called the vehicle by the name Draisienne and the news about his invention was also published in a local German newspaper in 1817. Then, in 1839, Kirkpatrick Macmillan added a moving rod that connected between the rear wheel and Draisienne front tires.
The Draisienne bike did not last long because after that began to emerge new types of a bicycle which were more efficient and even some of them had already used the pedal although the pedal was still not perfect like a bicycle today. Even so, the bicycle that made by Baron von Drais was able to become a milestone in the emergence of modern bikes in the world. On January 12, 1818, Drais was awarded a tribute to the title of duke in return for his discovery. Grand Duke Karl Drais was later also appointed as Professor of Mechanics. It was a title of honor which not related to universities or other institutions. Drais retired from civil service and continued to receive pay for his invention.