In 1839, a Scottish blacksmith invented the first rear-wheel-driven vehicle which set the world in motion and laid the foundation of modern transport

In 1839, a Scottish blacksmith invented the first rear-wheel-driven vehicle which set the world in motion and laid the foundation of modern transport. Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a blacksmith from Dumfriesshire, Scotland, is widely credited with developing a rear-wheel-driven pedal bicycle. His machine was different from the earlier velocipede, which required riders to push their feet against the ground. Macmillan used pedals, rods and rear-wheel cranks to move the bicycle. The machine was made mainly from wood and had iron-rimmed wheels. It was heavy and difficult to control, but it allowed the rider to travel without touching the ground. His work later became part of the history of the bicycle.

In 1839, a Scottish blacksmith invented the first rear-wheel-driven vehicle

In 1839, a Scottish blacksmith invented the first rear-wheel-driven vehicle which set the world in motion and laid the foundation of modern transport. The invention is associated with Kirkpatrick Macmillan, who was born in Scotland in 1812 and worked as a blacksmith.


Macmillan is traditionally credited with creating the first practical rear-wheel-driven, pedal-operated bicycle. His invention changed the way a two-wheeled machine could be moved.

However, the history of the bicycle is not settled. Historians have questioned whether Macmillan was the first person to build such a machine. Much of the evidence about his invention was published decades later. This has led to debate over his exact place in bicycle history.

How Kirkpatrick Macmillan created the pedal-operated bicycle?

Macmillan was born on September 2, 1812, at Keir Mill near Thornhill in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. His father was a blacksmith. At the age of 12, Macmillan became an apprentice to his father. He later worked in the family blacksmith business.

During the late 1820s, Macmillan reportedly saw a person riding a velocipede. The machine was also known as a dandy horse. It had two wheels, but the rider had to push against the ground with their feet to move forward.

Macmillan decided to build a similar machine. After making one, he began thinking about how the rider could move the machine without placing their feet on the ground. He worked on the idea in his smithy. Around 1839, he completed the machine that became associated with his name.

What was the invention?

Macmillan's bicycle used a different system from the earlier velocipede.

The main parts included:

• Wooden construction.
• Wooden wheels with iron rims.
• A steerable front wheel.
• A rear wheel connected to pedals.
• Foot treadles that moved forward and backward.
• Long connecting rods between the pedals and the rear-wheel cranks.
• A rear-wheel drive system.

The pedals did not rotate around the front wheel as they do on many modern bicycles. Instead, the rider moved the pedals in a horizontal, back-and-forth motion. The movement travelled through connecting rods to cranks on the rear wheel. This turned the rear wheel and moved the machine forward. The design meant that the rider could keep both feet away from the ground after the bicycle was moving.

Why and how was it invented?

The main problem Macmillan wanted to solve was propulsion. The dandy horse allowed people to sit on a two-wheeled machine and move forward. But the rider had to use their feet on the ground. Macmillan wanted to create a system that allowed the rider to propel the machine while remaining seated.

His work as a blacksmith gave him experience with metalwork and mechanical construction. He used that knowledge to develop the pedals, rods and rear-wheel mechanism. The resulting bicycle was not light. It reportedly weighed about 57 pounds, or around 27 kilograms.

Starting the machine was also difficult. Macmillan reportedly used his feet against the ground to get the machine moving. Once the rear cranks began moving, he could place his feet on the pedals.

How did Macmillan ride the bicycle?

Macmillan gradually became familiar with the machine. He reportedly travelled on rough roads in the Dumfries area. He was able to cover about 14 miles between his home and Dumfries in less than an hour. Other accounts put the distance at about 15 miles.

His machine also became known in the local area. Stories say villagers watched him ride through the countryside. Some people reportedly called him “Daft Pate” because of his unusual machine. He travelled as far north as Carronbridge, near the entrance to the Dalveen Pass, and as far south as Holywood. The machine was not easy to operate. Its weight and design required physical effort from the rider.

The reported journey from Dumfries to Glasgow

One of the best-known parts of the Macmillan story is his reported journey to Glasgow. In June 1842, Macmillan is said to have travelled about 68 to 70 miles from Dumfries to Glasgow on his bicycle. Some accounts place the journey on June 6, 1842. The trip reportedly took two days.

Stories about the journey say people watched him as he travelled. Women and children were said to have cheered, while some people went indoors when they saw the machine approaching. Workers are also said to have stopped working to watch the rider pass.

The Glasgow part of the story is connected to a newspaper report from 1842. The report described an unnamed man from Dumfries-shire riding a velocipede of unusual design. The rider reportedly knocked down a young girl in Glasgow and was fined five shillings. Many later accounts identified the rider as Macmillan.

However, historians have questioned this identification. One reason is that the newspaper referred to the rider as a gentleman from Dumfries-shire. Some researchers have questioned whether a newspaper would describe a blacksmith in that way. Therefore, the five-shilling fine is often linked to Macmillan, but it is not accepted as certain evidence by everyone.

Who invented the bicycle?

Macmillan is widely credited with inventing the rear-wheel-driven pedal bicycle. However, the wider history of the bicycle includes other inventors and machines. The evidence surrounding Macmillan's invention became more widely known in the 1890s. His relative James Johnston published an account of the invention in the Gallovidian magazine in 1899.

Johnston strongly supported Macmillan's role. He described Macmillan as the person who solved the problem of creating a practical two-wheeled machine that could be propelled with the rider's feet off the ground. Other researchers have been less certain.

Alastair Dodds, in Scottish Bicycles and Tricycles, questioned whether Macmillan was the inventor or a copyist. He also suggested that the inventor was probably Scottish and that several people may have been building different types of bicycles in Lowland Scotland during the period.

There is also debate over later inventors, including French inventor Pierre Lallemant, who is associated with the development of pedal bicycles. Because primary evidence from Macmillan's own period is limited, historians continue to debate the exact origins of the pedal bicycle.

What happened after the invention?

Macmillan did not patent his bicycle. He also did not try to establish a business around the invention. He continued working as a country blacksmith and lived a life away from the attention that later surrounded his work.

In 1846, Gavin Dalzell of Lesmahagow produced a machine that was similar to Macmillan's design. Dalzell reportedly showed the machine to many people. For much of the 19th century, this led to a belief that Dalzell had invented the powered bicycle.

Macmillan did not appear to be concerned about the dispute. His lack of a patent and commercial business meant that his name did not become widely associated with the bicycle during his lifetime.

Macmillan's family and later life

Macmillan married Elsie Goldie in 1854. Some accounts refer to his wife as Elspeth. They had six children. His wife died at the age of 32, and only two of their children are recorded as having survived their father. Macmillan continued his work as a blacksmith. He died on January 26, 1878.

The smithy associated with his work still stands. A plaque at the Courthill Smithy recognises his role in the history of the bicycle.

The plaque carries the words:
“He builded better than he knew.”

The line comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem The Problem. Two bicycles associated with Macmillan are displayed at Dumfries Museum.

Why the invention matters?

Macmillan's machine showed that a two-wheeled vehicle could be moved through a mechanical system operated by the rider. The design connected foot movement to the rear wheel. This separated propulsion from the need to push against the ground.

The machine was heavy and different from the bicycles used today. But the basic idea of using pedals to transfer human movement into wheel movement became part of the development of bicycle technology.

Bicycles later became a form of personal transport in many countries. They also influenced the development of other forms of transport. For this reason, Macmillan's name remains part of the history of modern transport.

What is the historical debate?

The main issue is not whether Macmillan built a pedal-operated machine. The issue is whether he was the first person to invent such a machine. Much of the story was recorded and promoted decades after the claimed invention.

James Johnston, a descendant of Macmillan, played a role in establishing the account that later became widely known. There are also questions about the 1842 Glasgow report and whether the unnamed rider was Macmillan. Some historians believe Macmillan deserves the credit. Others say the available evidence is not enough to establish him as the first inventor.

The story therefore remains part of bicycle history with a qualification: Macmillan is widely credited, but his exact role cannot be established with complete certainty from surviving primary evidence.