From the picture source website:
"The forerunner of the bicycle, the 'Hobby' or 'Dandy Horse' was invented by the German Baron Karl von Drais in France in 1817. It was introduced to England by Denis Johnson, who described it as a 'Pedestrian Curricle' and started a school where prospective purchasers could learn how to ride the machine. An inscription explains how it works; 'The rider is conveniently seated on the small square board and leans forward against a well-padded cushion...' Hobby horses had no pedals or brakes, but were propelled and slowed by the rider pushing or dragging on the ground with his or her feet."
While on the subject of memorials to the development of the bicycle - there is a plaque in Scotland to a blacksmith, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, the first person to put pedals on a bicycle, in 1840. It's at Courthill near Penpoint about 14 miles north of Dumfries. Sadly there are doubts about the veracity of this claim.
2024: tells the history, together with a fun story about the first enforcement (in 1817!) of the 'no cycling on the pavement' rule.
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