Michaux
Achievement: He developed the first proper pedal-powered bicycle
Born: June 26, 1813; Bar-le-Duc, Meuse, France
Died: 1883; Paris, France
Field & Discipline: Engineering; Technology; Invention
Language: French
Father: Unknown
Mother: Unknown
Spouse: Unknown
Siblings: Unknown
Children: Ernest
Education: Village school
Life & Times:
Pierre Michaux began life as a blacksmith and parts maker for the carriage trade. By 1861 he was working in Paris as a coachmaker and living near the Avenue Montaigne. That year he received a Drais ‘walking’ cycle (or ‘dandy-horse’) to repair and, together with his son Ernest (aged 19) Michaux made a significant change to the machine. On the hub of the front, slightly larger, wheel he added pedals, an idea inspired (his son later said) by the crank on a grindstone.
The Michaux bicycle became known as a ‘velocipede’ (and was nicknamed, because of its wooden and iron frame and wheels, the ‘boneshaker’). It was an instant success when it went onto the market in 1864, manufactured by a company (Michaux and Co) formed by Michaux and a pair of brothers named Olivier. In 1867 the new bicycle was an exhibit at the Paris Universal Exposition. By 1869 the company was the biggest bicycle-maker in France, producing 200 machines a day and using more than forty forges in their Avenue Bugeaud production center. One of the Michaux bicycles was bought by Emperor [a fan was]Napoleon III*, whose son, the Prince Imperial, was to be seen riding it around Paris.
By 1869 Michaux and the Olivier brothers had parted company and Michaux himself faded into obscurity. The French bicycle craze passed, but was taken up in Britain, where a Scots veterinarian, John Boyd Dunlop Pneumatic Tire, greatly increased interest in the machine with his invention of pneumatic tires. Michaux’ death in 1883 was registered at the Bicetre Hospital in Paris.
Assessment: His work opened up the field of transportation and ultimately led to the invention of the automobile.
Oneliner: developed the first proper pedal-powered bicycle
Bibliography:
- Encyclopedia Britannica.
- Napoleon III, http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/biciclette/escuotiossa.html.