History of the Scooter
More and more scooters are seen on the streets nowadays. Not only are they fun, they are also more economically and environmentally friendly than many other forms of transportation. However, the first scooter was very different from what we know of today. It dates back to 1840, and was pedal-driven bicycle created by a Scotsman, Kirkpatrick McMillan.
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The First Real Scooter
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The first mass-produced scooter came from Hildebrand & Wolfmueller in 1894. It was a true two-wheel motorized vehicle.
Vespa
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The Vespa was introduced to the world after World War II and set a new standard for scooters. It was developed by an Italian company, Piaggio, in 1946.
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Lambretta
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Not long after the Vespa, another Italian, Ferdinando Innocenti, created the Lambretta. It became popular because of its incredible gas mileage (120 mpg).
National Exposure
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The use of scooters got national exposure when Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck rode one in the movie "Roman Holiday." After that, scooters were used in many ads and commercial.
Japanese Contributions
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Before the mid 1980s, Vespas and Lambrettas were still the main two scooters sold around the world. Honda and Yamaha introduced their versions (Elite and Riva, respectively) and dominated the United States market.
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