Karl Drais © Prof. Dr. H. E. Lessing2007 marked the 190th anniversary of the two-wheeler invention. This is considered to be the big bang of personal mobility, since thousands of men sat on machines instead of horses for the first time and rode into the surroundings individually. Yet after worldwide prohibition of the running machines collective transport by the new railways stole the show from them.

The inventor came from a family of civil servants without landed property, but laid down his nobility titles during the Badenian Revolution to be merely citizen Karl Drais. After worldwide fame he was prosecuted from age 50 on by the authorities and monarchists for his democratic convictions culminating in an attempted murder. After his death monarchists made him and his invention look silly by starting tall stories in a purposeful manner.

Thus unheard news on Drais will be found clicking through the following pages and the circumstances of his life.



This memorial is able to describe his life, achievements and importance merely in a compressed way. An extensive biography of Karl Drais is given in the book "Automobilität - Karl Drais und die unglaublichen Anfänge" by Hans-Erhard Lessing.
Maxime Verlag , Leipzig, 528 pages, 32 €. ISBN 3-931965-22-8