On 4 January 1887, Englishman THOMAS STEVENS (1854-1935) arrived by steamer in San Francisco, California, becoming the first person to circle the globe by bicycle. He had left San Francisco on 22 April 1884, riding a 50-inch Stardard penny-farthing bicycle built by the Pope Manufacturing Company of Chicago. Packed in his handlebar bag were four pair of socks, a spare shirt, a raincoat that doubled as a tent, and British-made bull-dog revolver. He reached Boston on 4 August, after traveling 3,700 miles via wagon trails, railroad right-of-ways, river and canal towpaths, and public roads, becoming the first person to complete a transcontinental bicycle ride across the United States. After wintering in New York City, STEVENS took a steamer to LIverpool, England, landing there on 9 April 1885. Wearing a white pith helmet, he started out across Europe on 4 May, traveling through England, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slavonia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Rumelia, Turkey, Anatolia, Armenia, Kurdistan, Iraq and Iran, where he waited out the winter in Teheran as a guest of the Shah. Setting out on 10 March 1886 through Afghanistan, he was expelled by local authorities and forced to turn back. Traveling by steamer to India, STEVENS then cycled along the Grand Trunk Road, which he noted as proving excellent wheeling, and free from bandits. Taking another steamer to China, he then pedaled though the eastern section of that country before taking another ship to Japan. The bicycle portion of his trip ended after he rode across the main island, arriving in Yokohama on 17 December 1886. Returning to San Francisco, STEVENS noted that had actually ridden some 13,500 miles (21,726 km) out of around 25,000 miles (40,000 km) traveled. His account of the journey, Around the World on a Bicycle, was sold in a two-volume book of 1,000 pages. An original edition is valued at around US$400, but the book has been reprinted and the Kindle edition can be purchased for just pennies. The Pope Company preserved STEVENSs bicycle until World War II, when it was donated to a scrap drive to support the war effort.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 11:32:06 +0000
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