The Tour de France is started by L'Auto newspaper as an advertising campaign to boost sales. Frenchman Maurice Garin claims the first victory.

Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright start off making bicycles but soon make history as the first people to successfully fly and control a heavier-than-air plane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Internal hub gears are invented by Sturmey Archer and are in use on bikes around the world by 1930.

Albert Einstein publishes his Special Theory of Relativity. His famous equation, E=mc², demonstrates that the more mass an object has, the more energy it has.

Paul de Vivie, better known as Velocio, invents the first, easy-to-use derailleur. This allows cyclists to shift four gears at the pedals

The third Tour de France makes headlines when the route extends to include the whole of France. The race distance is almost 3,000 km with 11 stages. Cyclists' performances are based on points rather than time differentials. Frenchman Louis Trousselier is the winner.

Golgi and Cajal show how the nervous system is made up of millions of connected neurons. They win the Nobel Prize for their work.

In The Integrative Action of the Nervous System, Charles Scott Sherrington describes the synapse and motor cortex.

Increased to a challenging 13-staged 4,500 km race, the Tour route is now an impressive "great loop" that hugs the perimeter of France, with detours through Germany, Italy, and Spain. Frenchman René Pottier wins the fourth Tour.

Guglielmo Marconi transmits wireless signals. His work wins the Nobel Prize in physics and results in the birth of modern radio.

The race enters the remote mountain roads of the Pyrenees for the first time, passing through the famous Col d'Aubisque and Col du Tourmalet. The broom wagon, or voiture-balai, makes its debut. This van picks up exhausted cyclists, too worn out to continue in the race.

Riders cross the Col du Galibier, Col du Télégraphe, and Col du Lautaret in the Alps for the first time. Cyclists climb to 2,642 meters without derailleurs.

Edgar Douglas Adrian publishes work on the all-or-none principle in neurons.

Henry Ford develops the first moving assembly line at his car assembly plant in Highland Park, Michigan.

The Tour abandons the points system and re-adopts the time trial classifications that are still in use. Frenchman Eugéne Christophe leads the peloton on a steep climb through the Pyrenees when he breaks the fork on his bike. He carries his bike 14 kilometers to the nearest village where he uses a blacksmith's forge to repair the damage. He gets back on his bike and rides for four more hours until he crosses the finish line at Paris. The race winner is Philippe Thys of Belgium. Christophe comes in seventh.

Robert Barany wins the Nobel Prize for his work on the physiology and pathology of the human vestibular apparatus. Your vestibular system makes you aware of the position and motion of your head in space.

Over 10 million people die during World War I, a war which involves more countries than any previous conflict. The map of Europe is transformed. The Tour is suspended from 1915-1918.

In his General Theory of Relativity, Albert Einstein demonstrates that space and time are linked together. Einstein revolutionizes physics and the way we think about the universe and how it works.

The Russian Revolution—the first communist revolution of the twentieth century—puts the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, in power.

Following World War I, the League of Nations is established to "promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security."

The race leader, the rider with the lowest accumulated points, wins a bright yellow jersey ("le maillot jaune"). Frenchman Eugéne Christophe is honored as the first man to wear this coveted jersey. The last place rider, the "red lantern," wears a red jersey.

The Society of Neurological Surgeons is founded. The Society meets twice a year and allows neurosurgeons, at the time a small number of doctors, to learn from one another. The same year, Henry Head publishes Studies in Neurology.

Belgian Philippe Thys wins the Tour de France three times. He holds on to this record for 35 years. In an attempt to revitalize the post-war bicycle industry, the first kids' bikes are introduced.

Vladimir Kosma Zworykin invents the iconoscope — used in the first television transmission. Six years later Zworykin invents the cathode-ray tube, or kinescope, the device that made television broadcast possible.

Jean Piaget begins to describe the stages of cognitive development in children.

One of the first talking motion pictures, The Jazz Singer, transforms movies. Starring Al Jolson, it takes the world by storm.

John Logie Baird successfully transmits the first television picture from one room to another. The following year he succeeds in sending a moving image along telephone wires from London to Glasgow. By 1927, he achieves the first transatlantic television broadcast.

An accidental laboratory spill leads Alexander Fleming to discover that the penicillin fungus kills bacteria. His finding leads to the development of antibiotics.

Wall Street crashes. On one single day, "Black Tuesday," the market loses over $14 billion. The market collapse initiates a global economic crisis.

Hans Berger publishes the first EEG — Electroencephalograph — recordings of the human brain. This non-invasive method was the first device scientists used to observe brain activity. The EEG measures and records minute wave-like electrical signals emitted by neurons on the surface of the cortex of the brain.

Tullio Campagnolo introduces the bicycle hub quick release, a device that allows cyclists to change wheels fast while in competition.

Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to make a solo transatlantic flight.

Edgar Douglas Adrian and Charles S. Sherrington share the Nobel Prize for their work on the function of neurons.

Jan Friedrich Tonnies develops a multichannel ink-writing EEG machine, the first modern one, complete with moving paper and vibrating pens.

Max Knoll and Ernst Ruska invent the electron microscope which showed high-resolution images of 3-dimensional objects.

Schwinn introduces balloon tires which ensure a more comfortable ride. In 1995, Bike magazine describes them as "the single biggest innovation in mountain bike history."

Spaniard Vicente Trueba becomes the first King of the Mountains. He sports the pink and white polka-dot jersey.

Spaniard Francesco Cepeda becomes the first fatality of the Tour when he plunges down a ravine in the French Alps, fracturing his skull. Cepeda dies three days later.

Egaz Moniz develops the lobotomy procedure. In the mid-1900s, the use of psychosurgery became popular as a way to treat mental illness or to alter behavior. In the same year, Henry Hallett Dale and Otto Loewi share the Nobel Prize for their work on the chemical transmission between nerves.

Konrad Zuse invents and builds the first binary digital computer.

For the first time, the Tour allows cyclists to use derailleurs. Competitors can now shift between different gears.

Schwinn introduces the " fore-wheel," or front brake, and the " spring fork." Both innovations influenced the style of today's mountain bikes.

World War II, precipitated by the German invasion of Poland, ends with the dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Over 50 million people die and European Jews are almost completely annihilated. The Tour is suspended despite the willingness of the German occupying forces for it to take place. The war ends in 1945. The Tour resumes in 1946.

Konrad Zuse develops the first general-purpose digital computer, the Z3.

The dawn of the Information Age. U.S. Government owned Harvard's Mark I computer is used by the U.S. Navy for gunnery and ballistic calculations.

In San Francisco representatives from 50 countries sign the United Nations Charter.

ENIAC (Electrical Numerical Integrator Analyzer and Computer) is dedicated by the University of Pennsylvania. Its first application was to solve atomic energy problems for the Manhattan Project.

The establishment of the People's Republic of China; the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany); and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The South African government introduces apartheid, a system which institutionalizes racist laws.

Walter Rudolph Hess receives the Nobel Prize for his work on the " interbrain," or diencephalon, which includes the hypothalamus, subthalamus, and the thalamus.

Italian company Campagnolo introduces the cable-operated, parallelogram derailleur and the quick release skewer. For the next two decades, Campagnolo equipment dominates racing bikes.

James Watson and Francis Crick discover the structure of DNA, our genetic information — the double helix. It consists of two identical strands that twist around themselves to form a ladder.

Nathaniel Kleitman and Eugene Aserinsky describe rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a mentally active period during which dreaming occurs.

The Vietnam War, the longest American war ever fought, alters the political, economic, social, and cultural landscapes of the United States and Southeast Asia.

Elvis Presley records That's All Right (Mama) at Sam Phillips' Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis defines rock'n'roll and becomes a cultural icon. Over the years, he sells more than a billion records.

Frenchman Louison Bobet achieves a record third consecutive Tour win.

Swedish physician Lars Leksell uses ultrasound to examine the brain.

On October 4th, the Soviet Union launches the world's first artificial satellite. Sputnik I orbits the Earth, intensifies the Cold War, and ushers in the modern space age.

The laser is developed, a device that revolutionizes many fields, from communications to medicine.

The President's Council of Physical Fitness promotes recreational biking to increase health. A major bike boom begins in the U.S., accelerating through the 1960s. Connoisseurs buy the " English 3-speed." The 10-speed derailleur "racing bike" dominates the American market by the end of the decade.

Georg Von Bekesy is awarded the Nobel Prize for his dissection and research of the intricate mechanics of the cochlea, or inner ear.

Beatlemania hits the U.K. John, Paul, George, and Ringo take Britain, then the rest of the world, by storm.

John Carew Eccles, Alan Lloyd Hodgkin, and Andrew Fielding Huxley share the Nobel Prize for their work describing the chemical means by which impulses are communicated, or repressed, by nerve cells.

The invention of carbon fiber. Made of finely spun carbon strands, these fibers are stronger and stiffer by weight than steel.

The introduction of the Sun Tour Grand Prix—the first slant parallelogram derailleur, a design still in widespread use today. It allows bikes to move more efficiently and with greater fluidity when the cyclist shifts gears on the back wheels.

Frenchman Jacques Anquetil wins his fifth Tour de France while Spaniard Federico Bahamontes is crowned the King of the Mountains for a fifth time.

Ragnar Arthur Granit, Halden Keffer Hartline, and George Wald share the Nobel Prize for their work on the mechanisms of vision—the primary physiological and chemical visual processes that take place in the eye.

Tom Simpson of Britain collapses and dies near the summit of Mont Ventoux. His death, caused by a cocktail of amphetamines, brandy, and heat exhaustion, shocks the world.

Magnetoencephalography, or MEG, is invented. Like EEG, MEG picks up signals from neuronal oscillations, but it does this by homing in on the tiny magnetic pulse the signals give off rather than on the electrical field.

Tour organizers introduce drug tests. The 1968 race is nicknamed "le Tour de la sante," or "the Tour for good health." Symbolically, it starts at the mineral water town of Vittel.

American Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the moon.

Creation of ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet, by the U.S. Department of Defense. ARPANET used one communication link to communicate with multiple machines by breaking data into packets. These could be shared or routed independently of other packets.

The establishment of Earth Day increases awareness of the disproportionate level of consumption of natural resources by western countries. Bike sales explode.

The Society for Neuroscience is formed. Today it has over 37,000 members around the world. Neuroscience is one of the most exciting and rapidly expanding fields of study. Julius Axelrod, Bernard Katz, and Ulf Svante von Euler share the Nobel Prize for their work on neurotransmitters.

The revolutionary invention of the first microprocessor by Marcian "Ted" Hoff. Prior to this, computers were only accessible to a few specialists working in large institutions. Thanks to Hoff, personal computers soon become a reality for many.

Computed Tomography (CT or CAT) is invented by Godfrey N. Hounsfield. CT scans enable scientists to take cross-sectional images of the body and brain.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is invented by M.E. Phelps, E.J.Hoffman, and M.M. Ter Pogossian. PET scans create computer-generated images of the brain that show which parts are most active when we perform mental operations, such as looking at something, listening to music, or counting.

Teledyne produces titanium bikes for the U.S. market. In the 1980s, Litespeed introduces titanium, or "ti," bikes to a wider market.

Eddy Merckx of Belgium is considered by many to be the world's greatest cyclist ever. After winning his fifth Giro d'Italia, and the Tour of Switzerland just weeks before the Tour de France, Merckx undergoes a delicate perineum operation, only to start the Tour with an unhealed wound. Nonetheless, Merckx takes an impressive lead over the peloton and wins his fifth yellow jersey.

The role of endorphins is discovered—the pituitary gland releases these natural painkillers under great stress.

The Exxon Graftek, the first carbon-tubed, metal lugged frame appears. It suffers from frequent frame failure but the technology is later perfected by others. Gary Klein exhibits his aluminum frames at the International Bike Show. Alan (Italy) and Vitus (France) produce their aluminum frames around the same time. Cannondale launch their "Aluminum for the Masses" in 1983.

Forty-year-old Frenchman Raymond Poulidor finishes third, 12 minutes 8 seconds after the race leader. Although he will never claim the Tour victory during his 17-year racing career, Poulidor wins the hearts of France. Well known early on as an underdog, he is later admired as a humble cyclist who selflessly helps others to win the race. In the 1960s he was the most popular man in France. Fifty percent of the French population voted for Poulidor as their first choice for dinner guest.

Roger Guillemin and Andrew Victor Schally share the Nobel Prize for their work on peptides in the brain.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is invented. Using powerful magnets, this technology is able to create sharp anatomical images of the brain or body.

Specialized introduces the first high-quality foldable clincher tire—the Turbo. It improves traction and mileage.

Frustrated and sleep-deprived riders strike in protest at the Tour's rigorous plan of same-day semi-stages, late finishes, early starts, and quick transfers.

The first mountain bike prototype is developed in Marin County, California.

David Hunter Hubel and Torsten N. Wiesel share the Nobel Prize for their work on nerve impulses that mediate between the retina and the brain. The scientists demonstrate that different nerve cells are responsible for different types of visual stimuli.

Roger Sperry wins the Nobel Prize for his work on the differences between the two hemispheres of the human brain. Sperry showed that left and right sides have specialized functions and that the two sides can function almost completely independently of one another.

Bengt Ingemar Bergstrom, John Robert Vane, and Sune K. Bergstrom are awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of prostaglandins.

Race leader Pascal Simon of Peugeot crashes and dislocates his left shoulder blade. Despite the intense pain, he rides on in agony for six days and maintains first place overall before finally giving up.

LOOK markets the accident-preventing clip-less pedal. Cogs added to the rear gear cluster increase the amount of available gears from 15 to 18, then 21, and finally, 24.

The first women's Tour de France covers a 990-km course and runs concurrently with the last two weeks of the men's Tour. American Marianne Martin claims the first victory in 29 hours, 39 minutes, and 2 seconds. Today, the race is known as the Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale. Eighty-four years after the men's road race started in 1900, a women's version is added to the Olympics.

Shimano introduces SIS-indexed shifting. This eliminates the need to shift gear by "feel." Now the cyclist simply pushes the button and gears.

Despite fracturing the base of his nose—an injury that obstructed his breathing—30-year-old Frenchman Bernard Hinault emerges from the Pyrenees to win his fifth yellow Jersey.

Stanley Cohen and Rita Levi-Montalcini receive the Nobel Prize. They discover proteins called cell growth factors that direct the growth of certain cells.

Fluoxetine, or Prozac, is introduced. It soon becomes a widespread and controversial treatment for depression.

Twenty-eight years after it first goes up, the Berlin Wall is dismantled by jubilant Berliners from East and West. Two years later, the Soviet Union falls apart.

No more than seven seconds separate American Greg Lemond and Frenchman Laurent Fignon during stages five and 14 of this head-to-head race. Each cyclist has worn the yellow jersey at least eight times during this Tour. Lemond wins by eight seconds in an unforgettable final stage on the Champs-Elysées.

Tour de France team strategy changes. By the mid-1990s, all teams begin to use new technology, including helmet radios. More and more decisions are made by the coach, who knows exactly what each team is doing during the entire race, so fewer decisions are made by the cyclists themselves. Better financed teams have the advantage.

U.S. President George Bush declares the 1990s the "Decade of the Brain."

Erwin Neher and Berk Sakmann share the Nobel Prize for their work on the flow of single ions through single ion channels in the membranes of excitable cells.

The debut of the World Wide Web at CERN (European Laboratory for Particle Physics). Tim Berners Lee set out to develop a program "that could store random associations between arbitrary pieces of information."

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is invented. fMRI images show which areas of the brain are functioning during certain tasks, behaviors, or thoughts.

Alfred G. Gilman and Martin Rodbell share the Nobel Prize for their discovery of G-proteins which activate receptors on cell membrane and actions inside the cell.

Sachs (SRAM) introduces PowerDisc, the first mass-produced hydraulic brake system.

Spaniard Miguel Induráin becomes the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five years in a row. He is the fourth Spaniard to claim the Tour victory and has worn the yellow jersey no fewer than 60 times during his reign. Olympic gold-medalist Fabio Casartelli of Italy dies in an accident on the Tour, becoming the third cyclist casuality of the Tour. His death might have been prevented if he had worn a helmet. The next day is a day of mourning. The peloton rides in silence.

Stanley B. Prusiner receives the Nobel Prize for the discovery of prions; the agents that cause novel kinds of fatal brain disease, such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or "mad cow disease."

It all started when French police and customs officials seize a large quantity of illegal drugs from a Festina team car. The team is suspended and other teams are investigated. The scandal provokes a media frenzy, overshadowing the Tour itself. The peloton's low morale coupled with a riders strike in protest at the police action, almost prevent the race from finishing. Just 96 cyclists reach Paris.

Arvid Carlsson, Paul Greengard, and Eric Kandel share the Nobel Prize for their discoveries on the behavior of neurotransmitters.

American Lance Armstrong wins the centennial Tour de France by just six seconds in this grueling 23-day, 3,361-mile race. This 31-year-old won his first Tour in 1999, three years after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy for testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain. He becomes the second rider to win five Tours in a row, and joins Tour legends Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Induráin, and Jacques Anquetil as a five-time Tour winner. Armstrong raises the bar in 2005 when he wins his seventh consecutive yellow jersey.

Paul C. Lauterbur and Sir Peter Mansfield take the Nobel Prize for their discoveries concerning MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). Every year, MRI is used in tens of millions of medical investigations worldwide and has significantly improved diagnosis of many illnesses.