45 Historical Photos That Provide a Fresh Pesrpective on Life

Imagine cruising around town in the 1870s on the first machine to bear the name “bicycle” – the Penny-farthing! With its enormous front wheel, you’d be the talk of the town, zipping along at high speeds. Each rotation of your legs would propel you considerable distances, and the large wheel would smoothly absorb the shocks of the road, making your ride as thrilling as it was.

The whimsical moniker “penny-farthing” was inspired by the disparate sizes of the British penny and farthing coins. This quirky bicycle, with its comically oversized front wheel, may have been a fleeting trend, yet it managed to etch its mark on the Victorian era.