August for most of us is just a very normal day like every other day. But do you know this is the "birthday" of your hard-working people who work hard day and night, wind and rain to keep us safe on the road? Yes, on this day 102 years ago the first electric traffic light was born in New York.
After the First World War, the US economy suddenly grew steadily. Inventions, inventions such as mushroom after rain, sexual revolution, jazz and boxing caused the American people to shake because of "stirring". New York as we know it today ... And when Henry Ford put his great car Ford T on the assembly line, the car was no longer an item. Expensive, but become a means of transport affordable.
In 1916, the average price of a Ford T was $ 440, while the average worker working at the Ford plant was about $ 100 a month. And when cars started rumbling down the street, the Americans realized that their infrastructure was not commensurate with the number of large vehicles. It is hard to imagine that at that time the United States not only did not have a highway but even a traffic light.
Many people believe that traffic lights first appeared in 1868 in London. Actually this is not true because in the UK capital in that year near the parliament building people plugged the same signal semaphore columns as at the station.
It has two large arrows raised by hand up horizontally or tilted at a 45 degree angle. In the first case, the signal means "stop" and when tilt indicates "attention". Although this type of semaphore signal also has "light" - people light red or green gas at night but this is not the electric traffic light we are talking about. This light was very dangerous, and in 1869 a flashbulb occurred, causing the police officer to stand on the brink.However, this type of traffic was invented in ancient Babylon. According to some historical records, King Hammurabi (ruled from 1793 to 1750 BC) had enslaved slaves in the afternoons of the night carrying burdens containing two oil lamps at two ends standing on the street. These "live" signals will help alert traffic and traffic.
The "genuine" traffic light was invented in 1914 - August 5, the first semi-automatic traffic light designed by James Hogan was installed in Cleveland. It has a red light and a green light operates under the control of a police officer sitting in a special shed. However, neither the administration nor the drivers understand why this new type of transportation works because in 1914 the number of cars in Cleveland was not much, the Ford T did not cover the whole country. America. The people here are used to seeing the traffic controllers swinging their legs out on the street
Six years later in Detroit is another story: the whole city is full of motorcycles. As a result of traffic accidents, vehicles that drive the locomotive are overloaded. The police could not cope with motorcyclists driving their cars and crashing. The chaotic 1920s caused one of the Detroit police chiefs, William Potts, to stand up and pocket his own money to develop the road infrastructure. He spent $ 37 (currently $ 463 USD) to buy electricity and make traffic lights. This light is then visible at the intersection of Woodward and Michigan Avenues. In addition to the red and blue colors of James Hogan, this yellow light is used to warn drivers and pedestrians.
Engineer Peter Vivantin has designed this ridiculous lamp to remind the unpredictable and constantly changing rhythm of domestic financial and commercial activities and events. If the driver is not focused, it is very easy to get in trouble on the road just watching the strange monster lamp!
There are people who believe that traffic lights are a means to limit our freedom ... But perhaps they forget that traffic lights have saved lives for hundreds of years. After reading this article today, if there is a traffic light pole, please say "thank you and happy birthday" to it.
