Louis-Guillaume Perreaux
Encyclopedia
Louis-Guillaume Perreaux was born in a village called Almenêches
, in Normandy
, France on 19 February 1816 was a French
inventor and engineer who submitted one of the first patents for a working motorcycle
in 1869. He died in 1889.
, and showed an early interest in engineering, inventing a cane gun
(a type of walking stick with a gun concealed inside) at the age of 12. Perreaux was sent to the Minor Seminary of Sees where he formed the ideas that were later published in his first book in 1877, the two-volume Lois de l'univers principe de la création (Laws of the Universe), which is now in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. He secured a scholarship to the School of Arts and Crafts at Châlons-sur-Marne in 1836.
using a screw driven micrometer
with a chisel attachment or accurately measure the distance between two points to within a micron
(one thousandth of a millimeter).
velocipede
bicycle. Drive was by twin belts, and it was capable of about 9 miles per hour (4 m/s). The original machine is on display in the Musse de I'lle de France at the Chateau de Sceaux.
Almenêches
-Demographics:The population has varied over the past 200 years:-References:*...
, in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, France on 19 February 1816 was a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
inventor and engineer who submitted one of the first patents for a working motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
in 1869. He died in 1889.
Early life
After attending elementary school in AlmenêchesAlmenêches
-Demographics:The population has varied over the past 200 years:-References:*...
, and showed an early interest in engineering, inventing a cane gun
Cane gun
A cane gun is a walking cane with a hidden gun built into it. Cane guns were used as last-resort emergency weapons. Cane guns now are very rare to find and are mostly in the hands of private collectors and museums...
(a type of walking stick with a gun concealed inside) at the age of 12. Perreaux was sent to the Minor Seminary of Sees where he formed the ideas that were later published in his first book in 1877, the two-volume Lois de l'univers principe de la création (Laws of the Universe), which is now in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. He secured a scholarship to the School of Arts and Crafts at Châlons-sur-Marne in 1836.
Inventions
Perreaux moved to Paris, where he began working on and patenting a range of inventions including a multi-chambered gun, a lock mechanism in 1841, a circular power saw in 1843 and scientific instruments such as the Perreaux Dividing Machine, invented in 1846, which could precisely calibrate the divisions on a glass thermometerThermometer
Developed during the 16th and 17th centuries, a thermometer is a device that measures temperature or temperature gradient using a variety of different principles. A thermometer has two important elements: the temperature sensor Developed during the 16th and 17th centuries, a thermometer (from the...
using a screw driven micrometer
Micrometer
A micrometer , sometimes known as a micrometer screw gauge, is a device incorporating a calibrated screw used widely for precise measurement of small distances in mechanical engineering and machining as well as most mechanical trades, along with other metrological instruments such as dial, vernier,...
with a chisel attachment or accurately measure the distance between two points to within a micron
Micron
Micron can refer to:*Micron, a non-SI name for micrometre*Micron , is the measurement used to express the diameter of a wool fibre.*A small curved diacritic mark above some letters, used to indicate shortness, e.g...
(one thousandth of a millimeter).
Steam velocipede
Perreaux experimented with a small steam engine in a bicycle frame, contributing to the invention of the first motorcycle. Perreaux patented this design under number 83,691 on 16 March 1869 (and continued to improve his invention until 1885). The design featured a brass-plated single-cylinder steam engine with an alcohol fuel burner under the saddle of a French-made MichauxPierre Michaux
Pierre Michaux was a blacksmith who furnished parts for the carriage trade in Paris during the 1850s and 1860s. He started building bicycles with pedals in the early 1860s. He, or his son Ernest, may have been the inventor of this machine, by adapting cranks and pedals on the front wheel of a...
velocipede
Velocipede
Velocipede is an umbrella term for any human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle....
bicycle. Drive was by twin belts, and it was capable of about 9 miles per hour (4 m/s). The original machine is on display in the Musse de I'lle de France at the Chateau de Sceaux.
