2017-07-27 Thu

Germany, Bosnia - Herzegovina, and Switzerland celebrated the 200th anniversary of Karl Drais’s two-wheeler laufmaschine (running machine). Drais was born in Baden in 1785. When the Tambora volcano erupted in 1816, Europe’s climate changed drastically with hail, continuous rains and floods. Agriculture was affected due to famines leading to increasing food prices. There was no animal feed leading to the death of many horses. Karl Fried­rich Drais invented the ‘draisine’ or dandy horse for easier locomotion during these conditions in 1817. It was the base design of a modern bicycle. His two-wheeler had no pedals and was pushed by the rider’s legs. A saddle and moveable handlebars maintained balance.

Germany released a 70¢ stamp on 13th July featuring Drais’ invention. Drais rode his invention publically on 12th June 1817. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Croat Administration) released a 2.90 stamp to celebrate 200 years of this momentous event. Drais’ portrait is placed inside the front wheel of a laufmaschine. Switzerland released two 1-franc stamps on 1st March, one depicting the draisine, and the other featuring a modern bicycle.