The
dandy horse (also known as
Laufmaschine (Drais' own terminology),
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
for "running machine",
velocipedeVelocipede is an umbrella term for any human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle....
, or
draisineA draisine primarily refers to a light auxiliary rail vehicle, driven by service personnel, equipped to transport crew and material necessary for the maintenance of railway infrastructure....
(a term now used primarily for light auxiliary railcars regardless of their form of propulsion), and in its French form
draisienne) was invented by Baron
Karl von DraisKarl Drais was a German inventor and invented the Laufmaschine , also later called the velocipede, draisine or "draisienne" , or nick-named, dandy horse. This incorporated the two-wheeler principle that is basic to the bicycle and motorcycle and meant the beginning of mechanized personal transport...
in
MannheimMannheim is a city in Germany. With 327,318 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg after the capital Stuttgart....
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, patented in January 1818. Being the first means of transport to make use of the two-wheeler principle, the Laufmaschine is regarded as the forerunner of the
bicycleA bicycle, also known as a bike, push bike or cycle, is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist or a bicyclist....
.
The dandy-horse was a two-
wheelA wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load , or performing labour in machines. Common examples are found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle overcomes friction by facilitating motion by...
ed vehicle, with both wheels in-line, propelled by the rider pushing along the ground with the feet as in regular walking or running.
The
dandy horse (also known as
Laufmaschine (Drais' own terminology),
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
for "running machine",
velocipedeVelocipede is an umbrella term for any human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle....
, or
draisineA draisine primarily refers to a light auxiliary rail vehicle, driven by service personnel, equipped to transport crew and material necessary for the maintenance of railway infrastructure....
(a term now used primarily for light auxiliary railcars regardless of their form of propulsion), and in its French form
draisienne) was invented by Baron
Karl von DraisKarl Drais was a German inventor and invented the Laufmaschine , also later called the velocipede, draisine or "draisienne" , or nick-named, dandy horse. This incorporated the two-wheeler principle that is basic to the bicycle and motorcycle and meant the beginning of mechanized personal transport...
in
MannheimMannheim is a city in Germany. With 327,318 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg after the capital Stuttgart....
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, patented in January 1818. Being the first means of transport to make use of the two-wheeler principle, the Laufmaschine is regarded as the forerunner of the
bicycleA bicycle, also known as a bike, push bike or cycle, is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist or a bicyclist....
.
The dandy-horse was a two-
wheelA wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load , or performing labour in machines. Common examples are found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle overcomes friction by facilitating motion by...
ed vehicle, with both wheels in-line, propelled by the rider pushing along the ground with the feet as in regular walking or running. The front wheel and handlebar assembly was pivoted to allow steering.
Several manufacturers in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
made their own dandy-horses during its brief popularity in the summer of 1819 -- most notably,
Denis Johnson of LondonDenis Johnson a coachmaker of Long Acre, London, created an improved version of Karl Drais Draisine, the archetypal bicycle. Johnson's machine was patented in London in December 1818, and featured an elegantly curved wooden frame, allowing the use of larger wooden wheels...
, who used an elegantly curved wooden frame which allowed the use of larger wheels. Riders preferred to operate their vehicles on the smooth
pavementsA sidewalk , pavement , footpath , platform or footway is a path for pedestrians that is situated alongside a road or a paved...
instead of the rough roads, but their interactions with pedestrians caused many municipalities to enact laws prohibiting their use. A further drawback of this device was that it had to be made to measure, manufactured to conform with the height and the stride of its rider, as none of its manufacturers are known to have built an adjustable version. After its brief moment in the
limelightLimelight is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created when an oxyhydrogen flame is directed at a cylinder of lime , which can be raised to 2572°C before melting. The light is produced by a combination of incandescence and candoluminescence...
, the dandy-horse quickly faded into oblivion.
However, in the 1860s in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, the
vélocipèdeVelocipede is an umbrella term for any human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle....
bicycleA bicycle, also known as a bike, push bike or cycle, is a pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist or a bicyclist....
was created by attaching
rotary-Engineering and Machinery:* Rotary engine, a type of internal combustion engine from the early 20th century** Rotary engine sometimes means the Wankel engine in particular* A rotary latch* Rotary milking shed, a type of milking shed used in the dairy industry...
cranks and pedals to the front-wheel
hubHub means the center of a wheel. By analogy, it generally means 'center' or 'important place', and may refer to: -Technical meanings:* Wheel hub motor, electric motor incorporated into a hub of a wheel* Bicycle hub, the central part of a bicycle wheel...
of a dandy-horse.
In popular culture
Buster KeatonJoseph Frank "Buster" Keaton VI was an American comic actor and filmmaker. Best known for his silent films, his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the seventh greatest director of all...
rides a dandy horse in his film
Our HospitalityOur Hospitality is a silent comedy directed, produced, written by and starring Buster Keaton. Released in 1923 by Metro Pictures Corporation, the movie uses slapstick and situational comedy to tell the story of Willie McKay, a city slicker who gets caught in the middle of the infamous Canfield &...
, which is set in the 1830s. Keaton's technical crew were unable to obtain an actual dandy horse, so they built one to match existing drawings and prints. After the film was released, Keaton complied with a request from the
Smithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines...
to donate his dandy horse to the Smithsonian museum's collection, which had no authentic examples of this vehicle.
External links