This man, Baron Karl Von Drais of  Sauerbrun, Germany is considered to be the father of the bicycle. He designed, built and patented his bikes, known as Draisienes or Draisine, in 1816 and it was presented to the public at an exposition in Paris on April 6, 1818. It was steerable, had no pedals and is powered by the rider's feet pushing on the ground. It was the fastest thing around in it's time, attaining speeds of 10 mph and more. He wasn't the first to conceive of some form of  two wheeled transport, but he was the first to build and sell to the public, especially in England where his machines were fairly popular for a few years.