If you’re looking for an inspiring tale, it’s hard to top that of Annie Kopchovsky, who left her home in 1894 to cycle around the world on her 42-pound Columbia bicycle. Not only did she circle the earth within 15 months, claiming the title of first woman to bike around the globe, but she also earned $5,000 en route – a small fortune for the time – and proved to a skeptical public just what a woman was capable of.
The website Annie Londonderry (Annie agreed to go by the last name to promote a product) tells more about her life and you can also order the book about her story, Around The World on Two Wheels.