History of Bicycles

From Bedtime History

History of Bicycles
10 min3rd4th5th6thSocial Studies
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Summary

The story of how the bicycle went from a clumsy wooden 'running machine' to the smooth, chain-driven bikes we ride today — an invention improved step by step.

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Teaching resources

Discussion questions

Discussion

The story of how the bicycle went from a clumsy wooden 'running machine' to the smooth, chain-driven bikes we ride today — an invention improved step by step.

  1. What were the very first bicycles like?
  2. How did each new version fix problems with the last one?
  3. Why do inventions usually improve little by little instead of all at once?

Quick work-a-long

Vocabulary: invention, improve, design.

Try it: Draw the 'next' bicycle. Add one improvement that would make riding easier or safer.