Carbide Bicycle Lamp Unit: Travel and Transport

TextBicycles were an important form of transport. Why is a bicycle better than a horse? How is a horse better than a bicycle?

Travellers often rode in the evening, so they used carbide lamps on their bicycles for lighting.  When calcium carbide and water are mixed, they make a gas which is then lit to produce light.  However, occasionally carbide lamps could explode.  Once electric lights became cheaper and more reliable, people stopped using carbide lamps.  The lamp in the photo was made in 1924.