On May 13th, 1935, a guy named Carl C. Magee filed a patent for what is the world’s first parking meter. Invented in Oklahoma City, USA, the first meter was installed on July 16 of that same year, and motorists had to pay a nickel in order to park for a time that varied between 15 and 60 minutes.
The first models used a coloured needle to indicate how much time was left before expiration as well as a flag to warn that the time is up. This mechanism lasted up until the ‘80s when microchips and digital displays replaced the needle and flag.
In the sixties, major cities like NYC started hiring Meter Maids, which were all women, to issue tickets on cars with expired meters.
Magee’s invention didn’t happen by accident. Appointed to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce traffic committee, he was responsible for solving traffic problems in the city and allowing shoppers in the downtown area to have a place to park. The meter obviously became a revenue generator for the city, and an invention that quickly caught on in the rest of the world.
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| Photo: POM, Inc. |
The first models used a coloured needle to indicate how much time was left before expiration as well as a flag to warn that the time is up. This mechanism lasted up until the ‘80s when microchips and digital displays replaced the needle and flag.
In the sixties, major cities like NYC started hiring Meter Maids, which were all women, to issue tickets on cars with expired meters.
Magee’s invention didn’t happen by accident. Appointed to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce traffic committee, he was responsible for solving traffic problems in the city and allowing shoppers in the downtown area to have a place to park. The meter obviously became a revenue generator for the city, and an invention that quickly caught on in the rest of the world.
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| Photo: POM, Inc. |