The invention of the forester Karl Freiherr von Drais from Baden was born out of necessity in 1817: After the eruption of the Tambora volcano (1815), the climate worsened, leading to a series of crop failures and subsequently to food and fodder shortages. A new means of transportation was needed that did not require feeding. The draisine was such a vehicle. Its two wheels, one behind the other, were propelled by alternately pushing the legs off the ground. It was rolled - and at twice the walking speed.
