A perilous journey it was to embark across the world. Tales have been told of going around the world in 80 days, but that was a story of fiction. After working in a railroad mill and as a miner, one man had the brilliant idea to circumnavigate the world on his bicycle.

On this day January 7, in 1887, Thomas Stevens finishes his bike ride around the world. Stevens did this all on his penny-farthing bicycle. The best way to describe this is that there is one very large wheel in front, a fixed gear, and a small wheel in the back a quarter of the size – which only goes to make this an even greater feat.

His journey began from Sacramento, California on April 22, 1884.  Stevens wanted to go through Siberia, but he was not allowed to. He went through Afghanistan and was kicked out by the government. His journey ended in Japan in December, but his return to San Francisco is today. All in all, he acquired many stories along the way.