© 2026 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Thanks to you, WUSF is here — delivering fact-based news and stories that reflect our community.⁠ Your support powers everything we do.

Spinning Around the Globe by Bicycle in 1884

Thomas Stevens was the first person to ride a bicycle around the world. He left San Francisco in 1884 on a high-wheeler. Upon his return in 1887, he wrote a book: Around the World on a Bicycle. Thomas Pauly of the University of Delaware wrote the introduction to a reissue of that book and speaks with Scott Simon about Stevens' adventure.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
Our daily newsletter, delivered first thing weekdays, keeps you connected to your community with news, culture, national NPR headlines, and more.