The Bicycles Changed America
The great changes in American society that came with the introduction bicycle in the late 19th century are often overshadowed by the influence of the automobile in the following decades. Today, bicycles are often seen as an alternative mode of transportation - a cleaner and more environmentally conscious form of travel. Because of this, it may be difficult to realize the incredible modernizing effects that bicycles had on American society when they were first introduced. Manufacturing and marketing techniques introduced by the bicycle industry were massive steps towards modern industrial practices. In addition, by making individual travel available to many people for the first time, bicycles changed the speed at which life flowed in much of America. Bicycles granted a degree of personal freedom of mobility to many for the first time, and their effect on the women's rights movement of the time was notable. Bicycles were used in war, by police, and by the postal service, among others. In countless walks of life, the availability of personal travel offered by bicycles had an incredible impact on American society.
According to Robert Smith, the history of the bicycle goes like this: in the late 18th century and early 19th century, a two-wheeled vehicle with a wooden frame and a saddle, known as the celeripede ("fast feet") was developed in France. The celeripede had a fixed cross-bar and no pedals, meaning that it could not be steered very well and it was moved by running along the ground while straddling the saddle. Needless to say, it never became popular.
Around the same time in Germany, Baron Karl von Drais de Savebrun developed a similar machine, with the difference that his had handle-bars...
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...cle caused a massive change in both manufacturing and marketing in America. Bicycles represented a great increase in the speed of life and in the travel options of individuals. Perhaps it is because of their current position in our society as an alternative mode of travel that it is often difficult to imagine what a difference they made on modern life.
Sources Cited:
Botkin, Nancy. "Women on Wheels: Riding the Freedom Machine." 2003. http://www.sfbike.org/OLD_site/www/news/html/2000/march/01march2000.html
Maree, D.R. "Bicycles in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902." 2003. http://www.rapidttp.com/milhist/vol041dm.html
Sherr, Lynn. "Failure is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words." New York: Random House Inc. 1995 pp 277
Smith, Robert A. "A Social History of the Bicycle: Its Early Life and Times in America." New York: American Heritage Press. 1972
“ Susan B. Anthony.
Harper, Judith E. Susan B. Anthony: A Biographical Companion . 1998. 07 May 2014. .
This time period also saw many new inventions that would change American society forever. Such things as the telephone, radio, and television are things that the average present day American could not imagine living without. But a hundred years ago people were amazed at such things. Railroads were now able to bring people all over the country while steam ships could bring you all around the world and airplanes could let you fly. The horseless carriage turned into the automobile.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly referred to as ALS, is a disease that can alter the daily life of a human in monumental and unending ways. In one of her articles about ALS, Caroline Ingre (2015) states that the disease is a “fatal neurodegenerative disorder” and further supports this by noting how the disease is marked by the degeneration in motor neurons in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord (p. 181). This basically means that
As stated by the A.D.A.M Medical Encyclopedia, “ALS affects approximately 5 out of every 100,000 people worldwide” (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis- National Library of Medicine, 2012). ALS is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease. The name derived from the famous New York Yankees player, Lou Gehrig, who lost his battle to ALS in 1941. Out of this tragedy came some light; ALS had the attention of the nation.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement (Dugdale, Koch, and Zieve 2010). In ALS, nerve c...
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2014). NINDS amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) information page. Accessed 2014 April 8
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, specifically the motor neurons. Motor neurons carry signals from the brain and spinal cord to all of the muscles in your body. When a person has ALS, they are not able to generate enough motor neurons, and the brain cannot then initiate and control muscle movement. After some time, when the disease gets progressively worse, the patient has difficulty speaking, swallowing, breathing, etc. These kinds of tasks are essential to the body, so when it gets to a certain point, the patient dies. There are several other names for this disease, such as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a motor neuron type disease. The disease was first discovered in 1869 by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. Though we have known of this disease and its capabilities for well over a century; there is still information that is unclear. This past decade has been successful for research, giving us new information and optimism for years ahead. New hope is arriving in thoughts that stem cell research and gene therapy will advance our knowledge for a possible cure.
...r," in 1885, which he never patented. It had a steerable front wheel that had easier turning, equally sized wheels and a chain drive to the rear wheel. As with the original velocipede, safety bicycles had been much less comfortable than high-wheelers precisely because of the smaller wheel size. Bicycle historians often call this period the "golden age" because many people could ride the bike without dying or injuring themselves.
Starting in the late 1700's, European engineers began tinkering with motor powered vehicles. Steam, combustion, and electrical motors had all been attempted by the mid 1800's. By the 1900's, it was uncertain which type of engine would power the automobile. At first, the electric car was the most popular, but at the time a battery did not exist that would allow a car to move with much speed or over a long distance. Even though some of the earlier speed records were set by electric cars, they did not stay in production past the first decade of the 20th century. The steam-driven automobile lasted into 1920's. However, the price on steam powered engines, either to build or maintain was incomparable to the gas powered engines. Not only was the price a problem, but the risk of a boiler explosion also kept the steam engine from becoming popular. The combustion engine continually beat out the competition, and the early American automobile pioneers like Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford built reliable combustion engines, rejecting the ideas of steam or electrical power from the start.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a degenerative disease affecting the human nervous system. It is a deadly disease that cripples and kills its victims due to a breakdown in the body’s motor neurons. Motor neurons are nerve cells in the brainstem and spinal cord that control muscle contractions. In ALS, these neurons deteriorate to a point that all movement, including breathing, halts. Muscle weakness first develops in the muscles of body parts distant from the brain, such as the hands, and subsequently spreads through other muscle groups closer to the brain. Such early symptoms as this, however, can hardly be noticed.
...ure would not exist. Life without the automobile, suburbs, interstate travel, and Drive-thru restaurants would be very different than the life people are used to today. The automobile industry has expanded to every continent and still continues to grow today.
""In Search of the Heroes": The Susan B. Anthony Story." "In Search of the Heroes": The Susan
Imagine if you loss control of your body but your mind stayed unaffected. You would be a prisoner in your own body, all leading up to your death sentence. That is the sad fate for the people diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). “Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder was first described by Ran in 1850. This description was then expanded in 1873 by Charcot, who emphasized the involvement of the corticospinal tracts. In the United States, ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famous ball player who was stricken by the disease in the midst of his career. (Yale School of Medicine, 2014)” In this paper will go through the definition, the process, the signs, the risk factors, etiology, and discus the known people that have suffered with this terminal disease.