Eureka! Do you know how the scooter was invented?

In the beginning there was the wheel. Everyone knows it, but have you ever wondered how the scooter came about?

It is safe to say that scooters are making a big comeback today. Despite their unchanged design simplicity, they were popular with parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents of many of today's users long ago. However, it is difficult to define who and when invented this form of recreation and entertainment. What is certain is that at the beginning of its existence, the scooter was mainly the latter.

Which came first: scooter or... balance bike?

That's right. Although we can hardly believe it today, the first scooters looked more like a balance bike and it was probably their prototype. It was invented by the German Karl Friedrich von Drais. In 1813 he created the so-called velocipede. It was a two-wheeled balance bike with a steerable front wheel - a prototype of today's bicycle, which was named after the author's surname Draisine. On August 1, 1817, von Drais covered a 50-kilometer route from Karlsruhe to Kehl on a running machine (as it was initially called) in 4 hours. However, the invention did not find recognition among potential users of the time, and the prototype of the balance bike was auctioned for a meager five marks.

It is possible that a few years later, around 1817, another German, inspired by the actions of Drais, came up with the idea of ​​using a platform instead of a saddle present in the balance bike. What is certain, however, is that in the times of the Great Depression (1929-1933) in the United States, due to the general shortage of everything, children built vehicles such as scooters from scrap wood themselves.

The toy of a British teenager
It is also assumed that the young Briton Walter Lines came up with the idea of ​​the scooter. In 1947, the family toy company Linie Bros Ltd was one of the largest manufacturers of wooden toys and bicycles, among others, in the whole world. Some say that fifteen-year-old Walter created a finished model, but due to the father's lack of interest, this scooter was not patented.

Scouts on scooters
The archives of the NAC (National Digital Archive) contain several photographs illustrating the scooters themselves and people from different eras who used them. Among the oldest are photos of the American actress Eleonor Whitney, who was riding a combustion scooter. This is what the description under the photo says, but one cannot help but get the impression that this scooter from 1936 is deceptively similar to today's moped.

Also inspiring is the picture from 1934 showing young scouts marching through the streets of Krakow. Some were dressed as knights. In the front row, five boys lead the procession on scooters.

Theories that the scooter was invented for girls are also interesting. It was very popular especially in the 1950s. Then it gave way to the skateboard. Now it is popular again. Riding a scooter is becoming more and more a fashionable way to lead an active life.