CHARLES M. MURPHY WAS BORN IN 1871 AND BY THE 1890'S WAS A CHAMPION BIKE RIDER. THE SEPTEMBER 5, 1955 "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED" STATED THAT HE WAS EMPLOYED BY A BROOKLYN BICYCLE DEALER. ANOTHER ARTICLE CLAIMED HE WAS A NEW YORK CITY POLICEMAN AND THEIR FIRST MOTORCYCLE OFFICER. A THIRD SOURCE STATED THAT HE WAS NASSAU COUNTY'S FIRST MOTORCYCLE POLICEMAN. IT IS KNOWN THAT HE AND THE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD'S HAL FULLERTON ARRANGED FOR THREE MILES OF THE L.I.R.R.'S CENTRAL EXTENSION NEAR MAYWOOD TO BE MADE INTO A BIKE RACETRACK. "...BETWEEN THE RAILS ALONG THE ENTIRE COURSE WORKMEN LAID A WOODEN TRACK OF 10-INCH-WIDE PLANKS SO NEATLY JOINED AND PLANED THAT A SPIRIT LEVEL PLACED ANYWHERE ON THE BOARDS SHOWED THE BUBBLE SQUARELY IN THE MIDDLE. A HUGE HOOD TO SHIELD MURPHY FROM THE RUSH OF DISPLACED AIR WAS BUILT OUT FROM THE REAR OF THE SPECIAL COACH HE WAS TO FOLLOW. EXPERIMENTS MADE WITH PIECES OF PAPER DROPPED FROM THE MOVING CAR SHOWED THAT THERE WAS NO SUCTION OR WIND PRESSURE OF ANY KIND WITHIN THE HOOD. MURPHY WOULD RIDE IN DEAD AIR." (SPORTS ILLUSTRATED 9/5/55).
ON JUNE 30, 1899 MURPHY RACED A MEASURED MILE IN 57 4/5 SECONDS AND HE HAS BEEN KNOWN SINCE AS
MILE-A-MINUTE MURPHY.