James Starley
Quick facts
- Born
- April 21, 1830, Albourne, Sussex, England
- Died
- June 17, 1881, Coventry, Warwickshire, England
- Job
- Inventor
Facts from Wikipedia’s “James Starley” page (CC BY-SA 4.0).
When, Where, and to whom was he or she born?
He was born in 1830 to Daniel, a farmer in Albourne, Sussex, England.
What was his or her childhood like?
His first job after leaving home was as an under-gardener. Did You Know?
- He began working at age 9.
- His first job was on the farm.
- An early invention he made was a rat trap.
Why did this person become interested in science?
He mended watches in his spare time and a sewing machine for his employer.
Where did this person go to school?
He ran away from home as a teenager and went to London.
What problem did he or she uncover that needed solving?
Velocipedes (bicycles) were dangerous.
What solutions had already been tried that did not solve the problem? Why wasn’t it working?
Velocipedes (bicycles) had wheels of increasingly varying sizes with the front wheel larger than the rear.
What did this person invent that solved the problem?
Bicycles with differential gears and the same sized wheels at the front and back.
How did the invention solve the problem?
Bicycles became safer. Rover bicycles became synonymous with safety bicycles.
How has this inventor changed people and the world?
Modern bicycles have wheels the same size at the front and back. High wheelers disappeared.
What happened to this inventor in the end?
He died in 1881.
If you could ask this inventor one question, what would you ask?
What does he think of electric bicycles and modern bicycle shapes and materials.
If you could bring this inventor to today and tell him or her one thing, what would you tell him or her about the effect of his or her invention?
High wheelers never returned in any serious popularity.
Written for younger readers
James Starley, in simpler words
This version comes from Wikijunior, a set of books written for children aged 8 to 11. It is shorter and uses plainer language than the article above.
From Wikijunior: Famous Inventors
He was born in 1830 to Daniel, a farmer in Albourne, Sussex, England.
His first job after leaving home was as an under-gardener. Did You Know?
- He began working at age 9.
- His first job was on the farm.
- An early invention he made was a rat trap.
He mended watches in his spare time and a sewing machine for his employer.
He ran away from home as a teenager and went to London.
Velocipedes (bicycles) were dangerous.
Velocipedes (bicycles) had wheels of increasingly varying sizes with the front wheel larger than the rear.
Bicycles with differential gears and the same sized wheels at the front and back.
Bicycles became safer. Rover bicycles became synonymous with safety bicycles.
Modern bicycles have wheels the same size at the front and back. High wheelers disappeared.
He died in 1881.
What does he think of electric bicycles and modern bicycle shapes and materials.
High wheelers never returned in any serious popularity.
Where this page comes from
The article above is adapted from “James Starley” on Simple English Wikipedia, by its contributors. We removed reference markers, navigation boxes and tables, expanded measurement templates into readable numbers, and kept the prose otherwise intact. The simpler version is adapted from Wikijunior on Wikibooks.
Both sources are published under CC BY-SA 4.0, so this page is published under the same licence. You may share and adapt it, including commercially, as long as you credit the original and keep the same licence.
Worksheets, answer keys and printable layouts elsewhere on K5Print are our own work and are not covered by this licence.