Have you ever tried to ride a High Wheel (a.k.a. Penny Farthing)? Aren't you glad we don't have to ride those things anymore! If you're curious to know how we've advanced in bicycle technology through the years, then come check out the upcoming presentation: The Bicycle Boom: Untrammeled Freedom. It happens on Sunday, Oct 16 at the Neill-Cochran House Museum.
In the 1880s, cycling was for men willing to suffer spills. Mark Twain quipped “get a bicycle. You will not regret it—if you live.” The low-mount "safety" bike changed everything, and in 1896, during the great boom, Susan B. Anthony extolled its virtues saying that the bicycle had “done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.”
Historian and author David Herlihy, who wrote Bicycle: The History and The Lost Cyclist, is an award-winning historian, who has been featured on NPR and in the NY Times, the Boston Globe, and Historic Preservation. His passion for bicycle technology since his days in the Harvard Cycling Club, makes him the man to tell the story (with a Texas twist) of the conveyance that slipped in nicely between the horse and buggy and the horseless carriage!
Refreshments are served at 2:00 PM, and Mr. Herlihy’s presentation starts at 2:30. Seating is limited, so call to reserve a spot. Tickets are free to members of the Friends of the Neill-Cochran House Museum and only $10 for non-members. This talk is the kick-off to Modern Times: The 1890s.
Next time on your long ride, not only will you be able to drop the group on your sprint to the City Limits sign, you'll also be able to drop some history facts that will sure to impress.
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