Transport & space · 1888

Pneumatic tire

Dunlop's air-filled tire smooths the ride and makes fast road vehicles bearable.

John Boyd Dunlop fitted air-filled rubber tires to his son's tricycle in Belfast in 1888. Cushioning on air cut rolling resistance and vibration dramatically. Adopted first by cyclists, then by Michelin for cars in 1895, it became universal.

See it in the living tree Wikipedia

Arcs above join it to what it stood on, arcs below to what it led to. The bar places this stretch on the tree's whole timeline.

What it built on 2

Safety bicycle 1885
Vulcanization 1839

What it led to 1

Ford Model T 1908

Related measurements

The dashed line marks when it first worked.

Private cars in the UK Latest: 22M cars (1998) Source: Our World in Data