Although it is assumed that it was for the sake of a claim, Annie Londonderry, who traveled the world only on the bike she took with her, left behind a wonderful memory that has been remembered throughout history. The fact that she went on a world tour despite her three children is enough to show us how sincerely she wanted it.
One morning, a woman in a long, heavy, period-reflecting skirt appeared in front of the Boston Capitol, hearing the applause of the crowd on her bike. She is called Annie Londonderry, but the public knows her as “the woman who glides like a kite”.
Annie’s last name was actually Kopchovsky.
When the calendar page shows June 25, 1894, Annie, just 24, introduces her surname as Londonderry, which is Kopchovsky after announcing that she will travel the world. Coming from a poor Jewish family, Annie had a masculine domination over her, with the notion that there were many things women couldn’t achieve. Especially if that woman has 3 kids like Annie!
Single and childless, Annie Londonderry was a fictional character she created.
While it is difficult to make society accept that women have goals just like men, even today; And imagine that this happened in the 1800s, when societies were just starting to form. That’s exactly why Annie, who is actually married and has children, has created a single and childless character for herself.
Women are starting to come to the fore in society now.
In these periods, it was not possible for women to be in the spotlight, but at the end of the 1800s, this perception began to break down a little. Educated and wealthy women who can travel alone are beginning to exist. But Annie had none of these traits. His wife, Max, was a hawker, and he had never been educated.
Born in Latvia in 1870, he and his family immigrated to Boston at a young age. When their parents died in 1887, they were left alone with their siblings. At the age of 18, she married her husband Max and gave birth to her first child. When asked about his trip, he would say, “I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with a baby in my arms and an apron on.” He wanted so much more from life.
The bicycle has become a symbol of freedom.
In this period, when women began to demand the right to vote and be elected, equal rights in higher education and marriage, the bicycle also came to the fore as a symbol of freedom. Annie saw cycling as a way to earn her freedom, fame and money. The idea of starting the journey is a bit dubious.
It is said that Annie, who is said to have gone on a journey on a bet, actually evaluates this situation as an opportunity. Let’s recap the matter of betting, though: In 1894, two wealthy men from Boston were reportedly betting $20,000 against $10,000 that no woman could cycle around the world. Annie hears this bet too and claims she can do it herself. To win the bet, he had to travel the world in 15 months and win at least $5,000 during the trip. Within a few weeks, he was preparing to go on a world tour on his 42-pound bike.
The 1800s were a great time for cycling.
When bicycles became safer and became widespread in the USA, there was a great bicycle frenzy at that time. Meanwhile, this small invention gave women the power to go beyond the neighborhoods, and it was a kind of tool for them to gradually gain their independence. Annie, who became the idol of women in her period, also became the symbol of women.
He set off for a world tour on 27 June.
Annie set out on June 27, after two days of excited waiting for the photos. For a start she turned west, she decided to take some cycling lessons. The 42-pound bike she was riding didn’t seem appropriate for a woman to travel.
By this time, he had come to Chicago and had traveled more than 1,500 km. Chicago Sterling Bikes offered to set him up with a 26-pound bike and an advertising contract in return. The company that produces wheels for this company came across Annie with another contract. Two advertising posters were already floating on his bike.
A quick transition from long skirt to short pants.
Annie, who we say also directs the subject of fashion, had a light dress made for her at the beginning. In this way, she could use her bike comfortably while holding the skirt around her waist. She got rid of it too, as it restricted the corset movements that shaped the women’s fashion of the period. She was more free and comfortable now.
When he set out from Chicago on October 14, he wore loose-fitting, baggy trousers with narrow cuffs at the ankle. This outfit was a very comfortable option for a woman riding a bike. When asked by a journalist, however, Annie replied: “Although I have the audacity to attempt circumnavigation of the world, I do not have the audacity to wear trousers.”
Those who saw Annie’s clothes could not tell whether it was a man or a woman.
Annie often came across people in small towns staring at her outfit and bike. After arriving in Buffalo, New York, she went even further and started wearing children’s trousers similar to today’s capri style. She also wore black socks, leggings, a tweed vest, a jacket, and a blue sailor’s hat. Those who saw her had a hard time deciphering whether it was a man or a woman approaching.
He got a lot of attention on the ship he boarded from New York. He told his adventures like a fairy tale, biking around the deck and raising money. When he went to Paris, Sterling was hosted by the bicycle agency. Cycling was very popular in France at that time; that’s why it got a lot of attention in the French press.
From Egypt to Sydney, from Sri-Lanka to Singapore…
Just after he reached San Francisco in March 1895, he embarked on the final leg of his journey. As he approached the end, there were nearly 50 flags waving behind his bike and clothes. As he moved from city to city, he added souvenirs and promotions from local merchants to his coffers. “I believe that in the near future women of all classes will be sitting on a bike with their legs spread apart, except for the short-skinned ones with long skirts,” Annie told the Omaha World Herald.
Exactly 15 months later, he was able to return to Boston, where he began his long journey. While She didn’t pedal as well as expected, her journey as a woman was a huge success. During the presentations he prepared to the people in the places he visited, he weaved a story full of dramas and details, and the audience listened to it wholeheartedly.
Annie and her journey have been on the agenda for a long time; She was also appreciated by people as a smart and resourceful entrepreneur and a fun speaker, and she was a great inspiration to women, especially.
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