The bike reflector is a simple yet ingenious safety device. It also has a fascinating history.
The inventor credited with figuring out how bike reflectors work just happened to be Adolf Hitler’s personal chauffeur. Anton Loibl then received a patent from Heinrich Himmler, Hitler’s right-hand man, in a blatant act of nepotism. (Somebody else had invented it first.)
Himmler set up a company to market the reflectors and passed a law requiring bicycle manufacturers to include them. They also had to pay a licensing fee.
Yes, the humble bike reflector helped fund the Holocaust. But that doesn’t make it any less useful as a safety device. And we’re not here to talk history, we’re here to show you how a bike reflector works.