guest post by Burstein!
In light of the awesomtastic bike trick video of Danny MacAskil currently making the rounds on the internet, it is worth reflecting on the storied and great history of bike tricks. There is a video of archival film featuring bicycle tricks whose description identifies the rider as Thomas A. Edison, however in fact, there is evidence that this is not the case.
The Edison Cataglog of Rutgers University have been organizing and publishing the 5 million pages of documents left behind by Edison. Within these documents are a series of kinetoscope films made by Edison Motion Pictures, and some (if not all) are documented on IMDB. According to the Edison Catalog and IMDB, the rider is not Edison but rather a certain “Neidert.” This has some corroboration as Eugene A. Neidert has been documented in the December 26th, 1893, edition of the New York Times [PDF] giving a “clever exhibition of trick riding.”
Here Are A Few Related Posts You Might Enjoy:
- The Pornography of the Bicycle, Curated by Rev. Phil Sano
- Mission Bicycle Opening Store In San Francisco Featuring Customized Fixed Gear Bikes
- Bike Kill V, Chaotic Bicycle Olympics in Brooklyn
- Archival News Video of The San Francisco Cacophony Society (1990-91)
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I’m confused. People thought the rider was Edison? Why would they think that? I assumed the footage was shot by Edison on his Vitascope.
The other copies of this film on youtube don’t claim that Edison was any of the bike riders in this movie, so I think the dude who wrote the description is the only person confused.