In April 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted in the largest volcanic event in recorded human history. The blast pumped massive clouds of volcanic ash and sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, casting a global dust veil that severely disrupted climate patterns. By 1816, Western Europe and eastern North America experienced what became known as the Year Without a Summer.
Heavy summer frost wiped out crops in June, relentless rains rotted harvests, and widespread famine crippled communities. Among the most devastated agricultural yields were oats, which served as the primary energy source for nineteenth-century transportation: horses. As oat prices spiked beyond reach, keeping horses fed became an unaffordable luxury.
Draft animals starved by the thousands or were slaughtered for food, leaving society facing a catastrophic shortage of personal mobility and transport. Spotting a desperate need for horseless travel, German inventor Baron Karl Drais went to work on a mechanical alternative. In 1817, Drais debuted the Laufmaschine, or running machine, a steerable two-wheeled wooden vehicle.
Lacking pedals or a chain drive, riders propelled themselves by straddling the frame and pushing their feet against the road. Despite its goofy appearance, the device allowed users to travel at twice the speed of walking while consuming zero grain. What started as a crisis-driven workaround for starving horses became the direct ancestor of the modern bicycle.