Thomas Stevens was born in 1854. Stevens was the first person to circle the globe on a bike. Stevens had always loved to read travel books. He moved to the United States in 1872. In 1884 he left San Francisco on a black-enameled Columbia 50-inch Standard model penny-farthing with nickel-plated wheels built by the Pope Manufacturing Company of Chicago. The bike got its name from the English coins a penny and a farthing. The two coins put together resemble the size of the two wheels of the bike. He rode 3700 miles visiting bike clubs on the way. He ended his journey in Boston. He then boarded a steamer bound for Liverpool where he continued his journey across Europe and Asia. The letters he sent to Harper's magazine have been complied into a two volume set.