This Day in History July 16, 1935

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Don't you just love parking meters?  Isn't it lovely to pay for parking?  Do you sense the sarcasm dripping from my words?  Well, it was on this date in 1916 that the first parking meters came about.  Cars were a bane and a blessing.  It was wonderful that cars meant that people could come to visit shops much easier, but they could also take up valuable parking places since a car could park in a place indefinitely.

Carl C. Margee moved to Oklahoma City from New Mexico in 1927.  He was asked to come up a solution to the overcrowded parking issue, and the initial model went on public display in May of 1935.  Drivers were not happy about this, and you can imagine all the debate that this created.

In spite of opposition, the first meter--Park-O-Meter--appeared, and it was a nickel per hour.  (Oh, those were the days!).  By 1951, one million parking meters were found all over the U.S.  And, as we know, they still live on today!

For more information, please check out:
http://theexpiredmeter.com/2008/07/july-16-1935-first-parking-meter-installed/
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/worlds-first-parking-meter-installed
http://famousdaily.com/history/first-parking-meter-oklahoma-city.html