Naw, not going to banter with you. Read whatever history you like to support your rigid elitist views. I know that the original bicycles didn't come with pedals or chains either. One had to push themselves along with their feet to go. And later that motors were indeed added to bikes, and how that transformation lead to other technological advances in the name of two wheeled vehicles and travel.
So frankly I don't care about what might have been with life back 100 years ago. My view is the here and now, because I live in the here and now, and how bikes have evolved to embrace more than just a select few of the healthy young set because of the advances in battery and electric motor technology. About time us old folks got back the joy and fun of cycling, even if it comes with a touch of the modern.