Will is an MA student at the University of York. His dissertation studies how moving through the life cycle altered the masculinities constructed by middle-class cyclists, and the appeal of inter-generational mixing within cycling clubs. Further information on the weird and wonderful effects the bicycle had on late Victorian society can be found on his blog ‘The Victorian Cyclist’ (https://thevictoriancyclist.wordpress.com) and its Twitter feed (@theviccyclist).

It is now ten years since listeners of Radio 4’s You and Yours were asked to vote on what they thought to be the most significant innovation since 1800. The list of inventions was, to say the least, impressive – their share of the votes, perhaps less so. Three percent of voters thought that the internal combustion engine was worthy of the title. The Internet fared slightly better, receiving four percent of nominations. A dizzying five percent of people believed that the germ…