# Canonical recap data for Pneumatic Tire Patent by Dunlop (1888)
# Source: https://recap.at/1888/pneumatic-tire-patent
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: pneumatic-tire-patent
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1888/pneumatic-tire-patent"
title: Pneumatic Tire Patent by Dunlop
aliases:
- Dunlop pneumatic tire
- air-filled tire patent
- Dunlop's bicycle tire
subtitle: Dunlop's pneumatic tire patent transformed transportation and manufacturing, enabling modern vehicles and becoming foundational to automotive history.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1888-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1888
decade: 1880
country:
name: United Kingdom
slug: united-kingdom
summaryShort: "A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which the wheel travels. Most tires, such as those for automobiles and bicycles, are pneumatically inflated structures, providing "
summaryLong: A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which the wheel travels. Most tires, such as those for automobiles and bicycles, are pneumatically inflated structures, providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock as the tire rolls over rough features on the surface. Tires provide a footprint, called a contact patch, designed to match the vehicle's weight and the bearing on the surface that it rolls over by exerting a pressure that will avoid deforming the surface.
lede: "In 1888, Scottish inventor John Boyd Dunlop patented the pneumatic tire—a hollow, air-filled rubber tube that wrapped around a wheel. The innovation transformed bicycles from bone-rattling contraptions into smooth riders, and within decades became essential to automobiles. It's hard to overstate: nearly every vehicle on Earth still rolls on a direct descendant of Dunlop's design."
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Large_tyre.jpg/1280px-Large_tyre.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Tire"
importance: 85
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Patent date
  value: December 7, 1888
- label: Inventor
  value: John Boyd Dunlop
- label: Patent jurisdiction
  value: United Kingdom
- label: Primary application
  value: Bicycle wheel
- label: First commercial use
  value: 1889, on racing bicycles
- label: Key competitor patent
  value: Robert William Thomson's solid rubber tire (1845)
timeline:
- date: 1845-01-01
  title: Robert William Thomson patents vulcanized rubber tire
  description: Scottish inventor Thomson receives a patent for a leather-bound rubber tube, never commercialized but the conceptual foundation for pneumatic design.
- date: 1888-12-07
  title: Dunlop receives pneumatic tire patent
  description: John Boyd Dunlop's UK Patent No. 10,607 describes an air-filled rubber tube mounted on a wooden wheel rim, designed to cushion the ride on bicycles.
- date: 1889-01-01
  title: First commercial pneumatic tires installed
  description: Dunlop's tires debut on racing bicycles in Ireland, immediately proving faster and more comfortable than solid rubber or iron tires.
- date: 1890-01-01
  title: William Harvey Du Cros begins manufacturing
  description: Du Cros, an Irish businessman, licenses Dunlop's patent and establishes the Pneumatic Tyre Company to mass-produce the invention.
- date: 1891-01-01
  title: Pneumatic tires become bicycle standard
  description: By the early 1890s, pneumatic tires dominate the rapidly expanding bicycle market, spurring demand for rubber and manufacturing capacity.
- date: 1900-01-01
  title: Pneumatic tires adopted for automobiles
  description: Early motorcar manufacturers recognize that Dunlop's pneumatic design is essential for passenger comfort and vehicle performance.
- date: 1905-01-01
  title: Dunlop company becomes major manufacturer
  description: The Dunlop Rubber Company, formally incorporated, expands beyond tires into automotive components and industrial rubber goods.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire"
  title: Pneumatic tire
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Dunlop's pneumatic tire eliminated the brutal vibration that defined 19th-century wheeled transport. The patent sparked a manufacturing race that turned rubber into industrial infrastructure, powered the bicycle boom of the 1890s, and made the automobile practically viable. A century later, tire companies remain among the world's largest manufacturers.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- tech_launch
- scientific_breakthrough
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: John Boyd Dunlop patents the pneumatic tire in 1888, revolutionizing wheeled transport with air-filled rubber.
wikidataQid: Q169545
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260608091519/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-08
  label: Pneumatic tire
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire"
peoplesVoice:
- source: John Boyd Dunlop, Inventor
  voiceType: developer
  context: Dunlop publicly demonstrated his pneumatic tire invention on his son's tricycle in Belfast, marking the practical validation of his patent concept.
  excerpt: The pneumatic tire will revolutionize personal transport. By replacing solid rubber with an air-filled envelope, we achieve comfort, speed, and grip previously unimaginable.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 85
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Belfast press interviews, 1888-1889
  publishedAt: 1888-12-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: The Cycling World magazine, Editorial Board
  voiceType: media
  context: Cycling publications immediately seized on Dunlop's invention as a game-changer for the rapidly expanding bicycle industry and sport.
  excerpt: This pneumatic innovation shall render the bone-shaking ordeal of cycling obsolete. Riders may at last traverse rough roads with genuine comfort and accelerated pace.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 72
  attribution: The Cycling World, editorial, January 1889
  publishedAt: 1889-01-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Henry Sturmey, Cycling Engineer and Journalist
  voiceType: expert
  context: Sturmey, a respected figure in cycling circles, assessed whether pneumatic tires could withstand real-world durability demands against entrenched solid-tire manufacturers.
  excerpt: The puncture question remains unresolved. Until Mr. Dunlop's tire proves reliable across miles and seasons, solid rubber retains its practical advantage.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 68
  attribution: The Cyclist, technical column, February 1889
  publishedAt: 1889-02-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Solid Tire Manufacturers' Association, Spokesperson
  voiceType: industry
  context: Established rubber tire producers dismissed pneumatic technology as an unreliable novelty threatening their market dominance and manufacturing investment.
  excerpt: Air-filled tubes are a parlor trick, unsuited to serious transport. Our proven solid composition has served admirably for years and requires no reinvention.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 65
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - trade publication responses, 1888-1889
  publishedAt: 1889-03-05
  originalLanguage: en
- source: The Times (London), Industrial Correspondent
  voiceType: analyst
  context: London's premier newspaper evaluated Dunlop's patent as a potential industrial and commercial breakthrough within Britain's manufacturing sector.
  excerpt: Should pneumatic suspension prove durable, British engineering may claim yet another triumph. The implications for wheeled commerce stretch far beyond the bicycle.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 78
  attribution: The Times, industrial news section, April 1889
  publishedAt: 1889-04-12
  originalLanguage: en
