Karl Drais drives his dandy horse (Laufmaschine) at Mannheim

Background. The invention of the Laufmaschine was driven, at least in part, by the need for transit that did not rely on the horse. Following the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora and the subsequent Year Without a Summer, widespread crop failures led to food shortages and the death of many horses in Mannheim. Drais himself argued that in wartime, when horses and their fodder often become scarce, a small fleet of such wagons at each corps could be important, especially for dispatches over short distances and for carrying the wounded.

The Machine. The vehicle, originally called a Laufmaschine ('running machine'), was the first two-wheeled vehicle. It was powered by the rider's feet on the ground, lacking the pedals of later bicycles. Drais patented it in France in February 1818 as a vélocipède. The machine incorporated the two-wheeler principle, marking the beginning of mechanized personal transport.

The Ride. Drais's first reported ride took place on 12 June 1817. He traveled from Mannheim to the Schwetzinger Relaishaus, a coaching inn located in Rheinau, using Baden's best road. This event is commemorated by a German postage stamp issued in 2017 for the 200th anniversary of the run.