Macmillan, Kirkpatrick
Published: August 18, 2006, 6:49 pm
Updated: August 18, 2006, 6:49 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Peter Saundry
Kirkpatrick Macmillan (1812-1878), an Irish inventor who developed the first rear-wheel driven safety bicycle in 1842. Pedalling by foot, the rider propelled the bicycle via a horizontal reciprocating motion; this movement was transmitted to cranks on the rear wheel by connecting rods. The machine was heavy and inefficient—the physical effort required to ride it must have been considerable. Macmillan rode his bike 68 miles over rough roads from his home to Glasgow, Scotland to visit his two brothers. In June of 1842, he was fined five Scots shillings for speeding at 8 mph into the Gorbals and knocking down a little girl in the crush that awaited this 'Devil on Wheels'. Modern bicycles are the most energy efficient form of personal transportation in terms of the amount of energy required to transport one person a given distance.
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Macmillan, Kirkpatrick". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 18, 2006; Last revised Date August 18, 2006; Retrieved May 24, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Macmillan,_Kirkpatrick>
The Author
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
Kirkpatrick Macmillan (1812-1878), an Irish inventor who developed the first rear-wheel driven safety bicycle in 1842. Pedalling by foot, the rider propelled the bicycle via a horizontal reciprocating motion; this movement was transmitted to cranks on the rear wheel by connecting rods. The machine was heavy and inefficient—the physical effort required to ride it must have been considerable. Macmillan rode his bike 68 miles over rough roads from his home to Glasgow, Scotland to visit his two brothers. In June of 1842, he was fined five Scots shillings for speeding at 8 mph into the Gorbals and knocking down a little girl in the crush that awaited this 'Devil on Wheels'. Modern bicycles are the most energy efficient form of personal transportation in terms of the amount of energy required to transport one person a given distance.
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