Spinning Around the Globe by Bicycle in 1884 [audio 4min]
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.
Read entire article at NPR "Weekend Edition Saturday"