History of the Bicycle and Isaac Johnson's Revolutionary Bicycle Frame

[00:00:00] On October 10, 1899, Isaac Johnson was granted a patent on his bicycle frame, changing the bicycle to a more modern bicycle that we know today, making bicycling even easier, growing as a transportation and a sport, changing the world forever.

[00:00:20] And all this was done, despite the fact that Jonathan Isaac was being persecuted against at the time, as he was a black man in America.

[00:00:28] We're going to dive into the history of the bike on Daily Sports History.

[00:00:40] Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan Reese, your guide as you daily learn more about sports history, increasing your sports knowledge.

[00:00:49] And today's trivia question to listen out for is, who were Buffalo Soldiers?

[00:00:54] Now, we first talked about bicycles all the way back in our second episode, when in 1886, Thomas Stevens rode a bicycle across the world, and he had to do so on a Pennyweather bicycle.

[00:01:09] Now, if you haven't listened to that episode, that's okay.

[00:01:11] Now, that bicycle is one of those old school bicycles with the giant wheel in front and the little wheel in back, as that was the most popular bicycle at the time.

[00:01:21] And the history of bikes actually goes back to the 1700s.

[00:01:25] In 1790, they invented a two-wheeled vehicle with a seat in the middle, but there was no steering.

[00:01:32] But it looks like the basic of a bicycle.

[00:01:34] And a few years later, in 1817, Carl Duras invented something with a steerable component, being what is widely thought of as the first bike.

[00:01:45] But it also has no pedals.

[00:01:48] The pedal system wasn't invented until 1839.

[00:01:52] And this invention actually used a small wheel in front and a big wheel in back.

[00:01:58] But this was still done manually with your feet.

[00:02:01] And pedals weren't actually added until 1858.

[00:02:05] Then in 1866, a British engineer invented the Penny Feathering bike, which we know today, which is that big wheeled bike and a small tire at the front.

[00:02:17] Now, interestingly enough, this does not have a chain system.

[00:02:21] You're mainly just pedaling that big wheel to help you move.

[00:02:24] Then in 1868, the first rubberized wheel was invented.

[00:02:29] In the following decade, the first unicycle was invented using the Pennywise method, which is only one wheel and a seat on top.

[00:02:37] Then in 1876, they invented the first caliber brake, which is one of those brakes that holds onto the wheel to brake it like we see today.

[00:02:47] And in 1879, the first real wheel chain system was invented.

[00:02:53] And in 1889, the back pedal brake was invented that we see often on children's bikes to this day.

[00:03:00] And there have been other small advances, but those were the advances up until 1899 when Isaac Johnson put together his frame, which is what we know today as a bicycle.

[00:03:11] And in the 19th century, there was actually several African-American inventors with significant roles involving the cycling industries.

[00:03:18] As you can see, there was many different iterations, and there were some I didn't even go into, of how the bicycle slowly evolved to what it is today.

[00:03:26] And that was all mostly in the 1800s.

[00:03:29] And after the Civil War, the United States military formed several all-black infantry, commonly known as Buffalo Soldiers,

[00:03:38] who would actually ride bicycles across the country instead of riding horses.

[00:03:43] And there was actually an all-black infantry known as the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corp that was tasked to ride from Montana to Missouri on a bicycle, which is 1,900 miles.

[00:03:56] And it took them 41 days, showing the human strength and resolve, to get through these treacherous conditions, which included the Rocky Mountains.

[00:04:05] And there was zero road at the time.

[00:04:08] And these were not mountain bikes.

[00:04:10] These were just basic.

[00:04:11] And Isaac Johnson continued the African-American contribution to the bicycle when he patented the folding bicycle,

[00:04:19] which was the first to have the recognizable diamond or triangle-shaped frame that we have on our bicycles today,

[00:04:26] which has the bar that goes between your legs connecting the front and to the back,

[00:04:31] and the two bars that go below connecting to the pedals, which is what we commonly see today.

[00:04:36] Now, he had some additions to include folding because he grew up in New York, in the city, where you needed to be able to store a bike.

[00:04:44] And if you had one of those big penny-feather bikes with a huge wheel, where were you going to put that?

[00:04:49] Even in a small apartment.

[00:04:50] You needed someplace to compatibly put your bike.

[00:04:54] And that's why he created it out of necessity.

[00:04:55] And he really changed the game.

[00:04:58] And his version of the bicycle is basically what we have today, with a few minor tweaks and the folding part really not used.

[00:05:07] But there are folding bicycles today, which are mainly used for the same reason, for small spaces in storage.

[00:05:14] So he really changed the game of bicycles.

[00:05:17] And we actually don't know very much more about him, as the only really documentation we have from him is what he put on his application for his patent.

[00:05:25] So he changed the game in something we have all used our entire lives, but many of us never heard of him.

[00:05:33] And his recognition is very limited.

[00:05:36] And it goes to show you that even if you make a small contribution, you can change the world that you may not even know about.

[00:05:42] And over the next century or so, the bicycle hasn't changed very much, at least the bicycle frame.

[00:05:48] It's gotten better material and more aerodynamic.

[00:05:52] The gear system was invented to make it easier to ride for longer distances.

[00:05:56] And it's been more customizable, whether you're doing mountain biking, cycling for speed, or if you're just daily riding.

[00:06:03] And you need a basket in front to get your daily groceries from the store.

[00:06:07] There have been so many iterations of the bicycle.

[00:06:09] It has become a sport where we try to check our speed and endurance.

[00:06:14] And also something that is thought of as a toy that kids get early in their lives to learn how to ride.

[00:06:21] And it is used as a symbol of freedom.

[00:06:23] Although it is made less popular by the invention of the automobile, it is still around to this day.

[00:06:29] And so a great way of transportation and exercise.

[00:06:33] And part of that is due to Isaac Johnson's patent of the bicycle frame that we know today.

[00:06:40] And if you want to learn more about getting into cycling, check out the Buzz Along Cycling Podcast.

[00:06:47] Where host Sherry takes you through all you need to know about getting into cycling and ultra cycling.

[00:06:53] So that you can have the best experiences and up your cycling game.

[00:06:58] And if you enjoyed this episode, please send it to a friend.

[00:07:02] Let them know about all the sports history you're learning about.

[00:07:05] Because one of the best ways for us to grow is word of mouth.

[00:07:09] And if you vouch for us, we'll keep growing and giving you more daily sports history.

[00:07:16] And the answer to today's trivia question, who were Buffalo Soldiers?

[00:07:21] Buffalo Soldiers were all black bicycle infanteries that were created after the Civil War to traverse the country.

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[00:07:30] The Civil War

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