On June 26 of 1819, exactly 202 years ago, WK Clarkson registered in New York the first patent for a “Velocipede" in the United States. By convention, this is considered the date of birth of the modern bicycle, given that the ancient origins of the medium are lost in more remote history, perhaps even in the third century BC in China.
Clarkson's vehicle was made entirely of wood, with the two wheels being the same, a handlebar bent back and the saddle between the two axles. That patent was a historic step, but it didn't last long: it disappeared as early as 1836, when the New York patent office was destroyed by fire.
Just that year the velocipedes were added the first pedals, an innovation born in Paris by the hand of a certain Pierre Lallement, who worked in the workshops of Pierre Michaux. In 1866 Lallement moved to the United States and registered the patent for pedals in his own name, calling it "improvement of cycles".
Two years later, still in New York, the Hanlon brothers started producing the first pedal bikes by Lallement. At that point, from being an aristocratic game at the beginning of the century, the bicycle had become a widespread means of transport in America. At the end of the 800th century, around one million bicycles were built in the USA every year and the main production center was Chicago, with over 30 factories churning out thousands of pieces every day.
