Wheels of Change

Meet Your Host:Hosted by: Rosie Talley, Author of ⁠Linus the Troll⁠Produced by: Sweet Meadowlark Stories🌐 ⁠Author Website⁠📧 Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Episode Summary:In this special episode of Past and Pen, we explore a surprising connection between disaster and discovery. What does a volcanic eruption have to do with your favorite two-wheeled ride? Quite a lot, actually!Part of Wander and Wonder: A Literary Adventure, this episode was made for Pathway 2: The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle. Find the curriculum here! Wheels of Change takes listeners on a journey from the ash-covered skies of 1816 to the birth of the modern bicycle. Meet the imaginative minds behind the celerifere, the dandy horse, and the velocipede—and discover how necessity and creativity turned a transportation crisis into one of the most beloved inventions in history.So hop on as we roll through time to uncover the wheels of change. Reading List: Bicycle Book by Gail Gibbons – An introduction to the history and mechanics of bicycles. Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom by Sue Macy – Discover how bicycles played a role in women's liberation. 100 Amazing Facts about Cycling: A Breathtaking Tour in the World of Bicycles by Marc DresguiWriting Prompt:Imagine it’s the year 1817, and you've just seen a strange new invention rolling down the street—it doesn’t have pedals, and people are calling it a “running machine.” Write a journal entry as a curious kid living in that time. What do you think of this odd two-wheeled contraption? Would you want to try it? How do you think it could change the way people travel?Email your stories to [email protected] and I may share them on a future episode! How You Can Support the Show: Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi Join my Patreon for perks like early access, birthday shoutouts, and a chance to have your voice featured on the show! Dinner Conversation: If you could invent something to solve a problem in your community, what would it be and why? Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share the show with a fellow history lover or curious kid.New episodes every other Tuesday at 4 PM. Stay curious—and keep writing your story.