The Evolution of Vending Machines

Hero of Alexandria’s lever-valve device in Roman Egypt dispensed holy water, predating modern vending by centuries. Vending machines returned in 1615 England for snuff, 1822 for banned newspapers, and 1883 Percival Everitt patented a postcard machine. In the U.S., Frederick C. Lynde patented a postcard vending machine in 1886, and Thomas Adams opened the first gum vending operation in 1888 on New York City railway platforms. 20th-century advances included William Rowe’s 1926 cigarette machine, the 1907 Pulver gumball machine, early 1900s soda dispensers, and the 1928 Glascock Brothers Coca-Cola machine that kept beverages cold.