Kirkpatrick Macmillan

Kirkpatrick Macmillan ( born September 2, 1812 in Keir, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, † January 23, 1878 ) was a Scottish blacksmith and " Velozipedist ", the long- inventing the rear-wheel drive was attributed to the bike.

His nephew James Johnston, a wealthy grain merchant and " Tricyclist ", initiated in the late 1880s along with patriotic editors a major campaign with the aim that " my home country of Dumfries the honor of the birthplace of the invention of the bicycle deserves " - by which he a two-wheeler understood with rear wheel drive, because the Gompertz velocipede with front-wheel drive had existed since 1821, four-lane vehicles with rear-wheel drive had Karl Drais developed in 1814, three years before the invention of his famous " running machine". Because of the campaign, many believed the " first real " bike was invented in Scotland. As a result, Macmillan was also finds a place in encyclopedias.

However, the only contemporary document was a newspaper article in the Glasgow Argus on 9 June 1842 both left open the name of the person concerned and, if it ever went to a two-wheel: "Yesterday a gentleman was brought from Dumfriesshire to the gendarmerie of Gorbals, for the sake of riding was charged with a velocipede, constipation of the road and driving over a child. " the relevant time in 1842 but Macmillan was not in the family blacksmith Courthill worked, but foundry workers in Glasgow. Alastair Dodds from the National Museum of Scotland found 150 years later that due to former state thinking a worker would not have been called a gentleman. For the term " velocipede " said David Herlihy 2004 that at the time of tricycles ( " tricycles " ) and four wheels ( " Quadricycles " ) would have been a two-wheeler will have noticed and noted. In addition, Johnston omitted the rest of the message: " It moved on wheels, which were rotated by a crank by hand (!) ". Rods which act on the rear wheel, were therefore not mentioned.

Secured by illustrations in the English Mechanic of 1869, however, the Stangenvelozipede by Thomas McCall who were like all the other a reaction to the Michaux - Kurbelveloziped. McCall made ​​later at the behest of Johnston replicas that were issued as Macmillan's spirit children. Probably needed the money McCall and therefore suppressed his pride.