Baron Karl von Drais is credited as being the father of the bicycle. He introduced the “Laufmaschine” in his home town of Mannheim in 1817. It was a two-wheeled machine and required the rider to use their legs in pushing themselves along the road and steering the front wheel while seated in the saddle. The bicycle has evolved to high levels since 1817; it has become the most efficient human powered machine ever designed. Karl von Drais is an example of how Germany has become a leading nation in setting the foundations for others to build on. Germany is not a large country in size or population and yet it has continued to provide the world with enormous contributions in cultural and scientific innovations. Germany is often referred to as the land of writers and thinkers; “das Land der Dichter und Denker.” In fields ranging from astronomy to zoology, Germany has nurtured men and women who have provided the world with complex and simple machines, from rockets to bicycles.
