What is a vending machine? The definition of vending quoted on Dictionary.com:
Sell by vending machine.
While the definition of vending machine quoted from Wikipedia is:
A vending machine is a machine that dispenses merchandise when a customer deposits money, validated by a currency detector, enough to buy the desired item (unlike a store, where the presence of staff is required for each purchase).
Typically, the machine can consist of a large, rectangular-shaped box, standing, that has a place to insert coins or bills into the machine. Merchandise to sell is placed in the vending machine and when a customer enters the appropriate money and selects the item they want, the vending machine will automatically release the item through a special hole at the bottom of the machine.
Do you know the history of vending machines? The vending machine has a long history and let’s learn about it:
- 215 a. C., the ancient Greeks invented an urn and placed it in an Egyptian temple, which dispensed a certain amount of holy water. It was considered as the first vending machine.
- In the early 1880s, the first coin-operated vending machines were invented in London. They were postcard vending machines.
- Richard Carlisle invented the book vending machine.
- Coin acceptance mechanisms that distinguish genuine from counterfeit coins have made vending machines more popular.
- America’s first vending machine was located on the New York City subway platforms. It was invented by The Thomas Adams Company, Tutti Frutti gum dispensed.
- Pulver Manufacturing Company introduced the first animated gumball vending machines in 1897.
- Gumball vending machines and round gumball vending machines were first introduced in 1907.
- In the early 1900s, cooperative bars and cafes exploded like crazy in France and Germany.
- Horn & Hadart (1902 – 1962) was a fully coin-operated restaurant in Philadelphia.
- Since then, a variety of products have been offered: cigarettes, stamps, postcards, candies, chewing gums, etc.
- In 1926, William Rowe of the United States invented a cigarette vending machine.
- 1965, canned soft drink vending machines were invented.
- 1981, “talking” vending machines were invented.
- To date, vending machines have come in different shapes and sizes, dispensing various products.
Read more: History of the vending machine