Although the bicycle did not become popular or commonly available until the late nineteenth century, its origins lie back in the first half of the century. Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a Scottish blacksmith who lived in Dumfries and Galloway, has been credited with inventing the first rear-wheel driven bicycle. This had a steerable wheel at the front, and a larger one at the back, with connected rods joining its movement to pedals below a saddle. In the 1890s, his relative, James Johnston, sought to publicise his achievements. Johnston argued that fellow Scotsman Gavin Dalzell, who had in its early days been feted as the originator of the bicycle design, had copied ideas from Macmillan. Other historians, however, see Thomas McCall's 1869 rear-wheel driven bicycle as the first such design.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Kirkpatrick Macmillan invents the bicycle". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=4789, accessed 25 April 2024.]
