Nineteen soldiers from the 25th U.S. Infantry arrived in St. Louis after riding their bicycles from Missoula, Montana. They were trying to prove the increased mobility of infantry using bikes. The Japanese Infantry actually had great success with bikes forty years later in Southeast Asia.

This post was contributed by Ross Malone. A historian and a retired school teacher, Ross has authored many books about Missouri’s history, weird facts, and folk tales. He has also written children’s historical fiction. Visit his website, and buy his books in the Missouri Life store.