Daily Quiz for December 30, 2007

Bicycle. The celerifere, draisine and ordinary were early versions of the bicycle. The celerifere appeared in Paris around 1790 and was a two-wheeled, un-steerable vehicle that the rider propelled by striking his feet on the ground. This was improved upon with a bar to steer the front wheel in 1816 by Baron von Drais of Germany, and was called a draisine. The ordinary, which had a high front wheel, wire-spoked wheels and solid rubber tires, was developed in the 1870s.