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Mobile throne -

In 1592, King Phillip II of Spain had a wheelchair commissioned as he was suffering from a severe case of gout. Elaborate in design, the chair was mounted on four small wheels. It required the strength and dexterity of a royal servant to move the stricken monarch.

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Early wheelchair designs -

This 1680 illustration depicts Chinese philosopher Confucius sitting in a chariot-like wheelchair pushed by a servant.

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The first self-propelled wheelchair -

The first self-propelled wheelchair was invented in 1655 by Stephan Farfler (1633–1689), a paraplegic watchmaker from Nuremberg, Germany. The three-wheeled device is also believed to have been a precursor to the modern-day tricycle and bicycle.

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King Louis XIV takes to the chair -

As he approached the end of his life, King Louis XIV of France required more frequent use of a wheelchair. Gout and later a gangrene-covered leg necessitated the need for a mode of transport that enabled him to attend court functions and countryside excursions. The illustration shows the monarch with his courtiers in front of the Swiss Lake at Versailles in the late 17th century.

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Bath chair -

The bath chair, a rolling chaise or light carriage for one person, appeared in the mid-18th century. It was used by able-bodied people as well as those with mobility issues, and was drawn or pushed by hand. It was named for the English spa town of Bath.

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The wheelchair in wartime -

Wounded Union Army soldiers are pictured recovering at the Armory Square Hospital in Washington, D.C. around 1864. Clearly visible is a patient seated in a wheelchair.

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The rolling chairs of Atlantic City -

Wheelchairs began appearing on the  boardwalk in Atlantic City around 1887. Known as rolling chairs, they were used by able-bodied and disabled visitors to tour the city's oceanfront.

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A chair for all purposes -

This 1886 illustration of a wheelchair with writing desk and umbrella appeared in George F. Sargent's illustrated catalogue, published in New York. In the wake of the Civil War, Sargent recognized the need for wheelchairs adapted for disabled people so that they could enjoy a modicum of normality.

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"Invalid Comforts" -

Meanwhile in England, a thriving industry built up around the need for "invalid comforts"—a term used to describe the bath chairs, self-propelling chairs, carrying chairs, and spinal carriages designed to facilitate the movement of those with restricted mobility.

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Merlin's mechanical armchair for the sick -

This early 19th-century design incorporated hand cranks, wheels, gears, and an adjustable back and footrest. Jean-Joseph Merlin (1735–1803) was a Belgian inventor better known as a musical instrument maker. He is also credited with the invention of the inline roller skate in the 1760s.

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The tricycle design -

The development of the wheelchair in the late 19th century went hand in hand with that of the bicycle. This engraving depicts a tricycle for transporting an invalid.

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First World War -

Thousands of combatants from both sides of the conflict ended up in wheelchairs as a result of the First World War. Pictured in 1918 are wounded American servicemen recovering in a London hospital.

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The folding wheelchair -

American engineers Herbert Everest, who was paralyzed, and Harry Jennings are credited with inventing the classic X-brace folding wheelchair, developed in the early 1930s. The design was patented in October 1937 and is still in common use.

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The electric wheelchair -

The first electric bath chairs appeared in the 1930s. Pictured is one in use in London. However, it would be another 20 years or so before the first powered wheelchairs would be produced.

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Second World War -

The Second World War also robbed millions of their mobility. In this June 1940 photograph, Queen Elizabeth (later The Queen Mother) chats with wounded RAF personnel during a visit to Wellhouse Hospital in London.

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The wheelchair president -

Franklin D. Roosevelt is pictured in 1941 with Fala his dog and Ruthie Bie, the granddaughter of his Hyde Park, New York home caretakers. Roosevelt contacted polio in 1921, which severely restricted his mobility. Few images were taken showing the US president in his wheelchair.

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The 1950s -

The original Everest and Jennings wheelchair underwent a makeover in the 1950s with the introduction of the Model 8 folding wheelchair. This was used widely in hospitals and nursing homes, as well as private institutions.

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Power wheelchair era -

In 1952, Canadian inventor George Klein headed a project to develop the first practical electric wheelchair. The revolutionary design went on to be marketed by Everest & Jennings on a mass scale in 1956, and the power wheelchair era began. Pictured is George Klein (standing) with his team in 1953.

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The wheelchair and sport -

Being confined to a wheelchair has rarely proved an obstacle for dedicated athletes, many of whom see their condition as just another hurdle to overcome on their way to sporting glory. Pictured in 1925 are patients of a US veterans hospital playing baseball in wheelchairs, assisted by nurses.

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Stoke Mandeville Hospital -

A 1949 archery class at the Ministry of Pensions Spinal Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire, England. Stoke Mandeville, world renowned for its spinal injury expertise, would play a vital role 12 years later in promoting sport for disabled on the international stage.

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Wheelchair racing -

The 1960 Summer Paralympic Games in Rome saw the introduction of wheelchair racing at Olympic level. The Games evolved out of the International Stoke Mandeville Games, inaugurated in 1948 and which saw the first competition for wheelchair athletes. Pictured in 1964 is the British paralympic team at London Airport, en route to Tokyo for that year's Summer Paralympic Games. Many of the athletes in the group are patients from Stoke Mandeville.

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The sports wheelchair today -

Technical advances in the late 20th century saw the sports wheelchair evolve into a super strong, ultra light piece of sporting hardware. Pictured is women's wheelchair champion Cheri Blauwet of the United States winning the 109th Boston Marathon.

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The wheelchair as a symbol of protest -

Wounded and paralyzed in the Vietnam War, US Marine Ron Kovic and his wheelchair became a symbol of protest against the conflict and of the treatment of veterans in general.  He was portrayed by Tom Cruise in the 1989 movie 'Born on the Fourth of July.' Kovic is pictured with fellow veterans protesting at the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami, Florida.

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Wheeling around the world -

Travel by wheelchair today is far easier than it once was. Most modern-run public transport systems feature designated wheelchair space for passengers on buses and trains.

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Wheelchair assistance -

Airports and cruise ship terminals are equipped to deal with passengers in wheelchairs. For example, air passengers with reduced mobility can take advantage of the global MyWay assistance service.

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Famous wheelchair users -

The late Stephen Hawking famously used a wheelchair for mobility and to communicate. His chair was equipped with a speech-generating device. 

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Christopher Reeves -

Superman actor Christopher Reeves ended up confined to a wheelchair after a riding accident left him quadriplegic. He spoke with the help of a tracheotomy tube. Reeves passed away in 2004.

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Frida Kahlo -

In her final years, the celebrated Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) painted from a wheelchair. Pictured is the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico City, which preserves her studio, easel, and wheelchair.

Sources: (Cavendish Health Care & Mobility) (Smithsonian Libraries) (Journal of Medical Biography) (National Museum of American History) (United Spinal Association) (International Paralympic Committee) (ThoughtCo.)

See also: The best movies about hospitals and physicians

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