In April 1815 Mount Tambora erupted in one of the most powerful volcanic events in recorded history. Volcanic gases formed particles high in the atmosphere that reflected sunlight and cooled the climate, making 1816 the Year Without a Summer across much of the northern hemisphere. Harvests failed and food prices soared. Historians have proposed that the resulting pressure on horse-dependent transportation contributed to what happened next: in 1817 German inventor Karl von Drais demonstrated the Laufmaschine, a steerable two-wheeled machine with no pedals that you pushed along the ground with your feet. The same strange summer of 1816 also found Mary Shelley stuck indoors at Lake Geneva, where Lord Byron proposed that the group each write a ghost story. She began the story that became Frankenstein.
Daniel and Mom open the episode with the volcanic eruption before Daniel knows where it is going. What follows moves through the climate science, the harvest and horse crisis, the compelling but unproven Tambora-to-bicycle connection, what the Laufmaschine actually looked like, how the modern bicycle developed over sixty years from that first machine, and the Frankenstein connection. Daniel’s humor runs throughout every turn of the story.
Daniel is nine. He asks the questions, refuses to accept easy answers, and picks every episode topic himself.
MomCo-host & Researcher
Mom does the digging - finding the sources, checking the claims, and translating them into something a nine-year-old will actually sit still for.
Things to remember
01
Mount Tambora's 1815 eruption formed atmospheric particles that reflected sunlight and cooled the climate, making 1816 the Year Without a Summer.
02
The harvest crisis put pressure on horse-dependent transportation. Historians connect this to Karl von Drais demonstrating his Laufmaschine in 1817.
03
The Laufmaschine had no pedals. You sat on it and pushed with your feet. Pedals came in the 1860s and the modern design in the 1880s.
04
Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein that same strange summer of 1816, stuck indoors by the terrible weather near Lake Geneva.
“So the volcano did not invent the bicycle. But it may have created exactly the kind of crisis that makes a person stop thinking about an idea and actually build something.”
MomDaniel, I have no idea, but I can't wait to hear the answer.
DanielPopsicle.
MomNow that was a good one. I loved it. Now, did you know the interesting story behind what might have led to the invention of the bicycle?
DanielI have no clue.
MomSo, in April 1815, a volcano in Indonesia erupted so violently that people heard the explosion 2,000 kilometers away. And, the following summer, it snowed in New England in June. Crops failed across Europe and North America. And somehow, all of that may have helped with the invention of the bicycle.
DanielA volcano in Indonesia may have helped with the invention of the bicycle. That is either the most unexpected sentence in history, or I am still asleep.
MomThe volcano was called Mount Tambora. Its eruption in April 1815 was one of the most powerful in recorded history. It blasted enormous amounts of ash and sulfur-rich gases into the atmosphere. High above Earth, volcanic gases helped form tiny particles that reflected some sunlight back into space and cooled the climate.
DanielAnd, if you block sunlight, temperatures drop.
Mom1816 became known as the year without a summer. Harvests failed across Europe and North America. Food prices soared. And, in parts of New England, snow reportedly fell in June.
DanielSnow in June. Crops gone. Now, that is not a bad summer. That is a catastrophe with extra steps.
MomAnd, here is where historians have proposed a fascinating connection. The harvest crisis made food and animal feed more expensive, putting enormous pressure on people, who depended on horses, for transportation.
DanielAnd, horses were basically the cars of the early 1800s, weren't they?
MomExactly. Then, in 1817, in the German state of Baden, an inventor named Karl von Draes demonstrated something remarkable. A steerable, two-wheeled machine that needed no horse at all. Some historians have connected its appearance to the food and horse crisis after Tambora.
MomAlthough, we cannot say the volcano simply caused Draes to invent it.
DanielWait. Pushed with your feet? Like a giant toddler toy?
MomEssentially. No pedals. You sat on a wooden frame, balanced on two wheels, and walked or ran your feet along the ground to move. He called it the Laufmaschine, the running machine. But, it could travel faster than walking, and he covered about four or five miles on his first documented ride.
DanielSo, the ancestor of the bicycle was a very dignified, grown man scooting along a road with his feet.
MomAnd, it worked. The Laufmaschine required no feed, no stable, and no oats. It became known as the hobby horse, or the dandy horse, and spread across Europe and Britain. People thought it was remarkable, and also quite funny to watch.
DanielAt least they were honest. About that last part.
MomDrae had been interested in human-powered vehicles before 1815, and Europe had been struggling with harvests since around 1812 because of the Napoleonic Wars. Tambora made an already difficult situation dramatically worse.
DanielSo, the volcano did not invent the bicycle. But, it may have created exactly the kind of crisis that makes a person stop thinking about an idea and actually build something.
MomWhich is often how invention works. The problem becomes urgent enough that the solution cannot wait.
DanielAnd, when did pedals actually show up? Because, scooting along with your feet is impressive. But, it does not sound like a long-term solution.
MomFrench inventors added pedals to the front wheel in the 1860s. Then, in the 1880s, the safety bicycle arrived. Equal-sized wheels, a chain connecting pedals to the rear wheel, and a design close to what we ride today.
DanielSo, it took about 60 years to get from the volcano-powered scooter to an actual bicycle.
MomAnd, that strange summer of 1816 produced another extraordinary story. Mary Shelley was staying near Lake Geneva, where the wet, miserable weather often kept her group indoors. They began reading ghost stories, and Lord Byron suggested that each of them write one.
DanielShe wrote Frankenstein.
MomShe began the story that became Frankenstein. So, that strange summer became connected to two extraordinary pieces of history. The early bicycle, and one of the most famous horror novels ever written.
DanielSo, one volcano may have helped nudge bicycle history, and helped create exactly the gloomy summer you would want for inventing Frankenstein.
MomAll connected to one mountain on an Indonesian island, erupting over a single week in April 1815.
DanielI am going to think about a volcano every single time I ride a bike from now on.
MomAnd every time you read Frankenstein.
DanielI have not read Frankenstein yet.
MomThen, you have something to look forward to, preferably on a rainy summer day. So, Daniel, what is one thing you are taking with you today?
DanielBesides my funny bicycle joke, let's see. In April 1815, Mount Tambora erupted, one of the most powerful eruptions in recorded history. Volcanic gases formed particles high in the atmosphere that reflected sunlight and cooled the climate, making 1816 the year without a summer across much of the northern hemisphere.
DanielYou told me that harvests failed and food prices soared. Then, in 1817, a German inventor named Karl von Dreis demonstrated the Laufe machine, a two-wheeled, steerable machine with no pedals that you pushed along with your feet. Some historians connect its appearance to the food and horse crisis that followed Tambora, though the link is compelling rather than proven.
DanielAlso, pedals came in the 1860s, and the modern bicycle design in the 1880s. And Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein that same strange summer, stuck indoors by the terrible weather.
MomOne eruption, one strange summer, and two pieces of history connected to its aftermath.
DanielTambora really committed to leaving legacy.
MomPerhaps the most productive disaster in history.
