By the 1890s, the bicycle was creating a social revolution in the United States. Nearly two million bicycles were being manufactured each year and were being sold throughout the country. People who previously had to walk now had a new means of transportation and this meant that millions of people were being given a new means of mobility. Back to the history of the bicycle. Vehicles for human transport that have two wheels and require balancing by the rider date back to the early 19th century, and began to develop in the second half of the 19th century. The term bicycle was coined in France in the 1860s. Here is an interesting photo collection of women with their bicycles from the 19th century.