The Victorian Inventor Of The Wheelie

A hundred years before the rise of extreme sports, stunt bikers took big risks and drew bigger crowds. Although he's largely forgotten today, Daniel J. Canary was one of the best.

In 1897, one of the top stunt bicyclists in the United States called Canary 'the father of us all.' Canary performed amazing feats on the high-wheel, but when he got his hands on the newly-invented 'safety bicycle,' the father of the bikes we know today, he did even more: he invented the wheelie.

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OK, all you 'X-Games' aficionados here's your founding father!