The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
In ancient Greece, Hero of Alexandria used simple machines to create many ingenious devices, among them a device that raised a lever when a coin or token was dropped against the opposite side of the fulcrum. The lever opened a valve and delivered a cup of holy water to anyone who dropped a coin. Centuries later, two men in Oklahoma used the same principle to create the parking meter, one of the earliest traffic control devices.
As early as the 1920s, automobiles were causing congestion in larger cities. Not only were narrow streets filled with moving traffic, but cars parked along curbs and in front of stores added to the congestion. Shoppers often had to walk many blocks to get to a store because parking spaces were so scarce.
Carlton C. Magee, editor of the Oklahoma City Daily News and member of the chamber of commerce traffic committee, became concerned with this parking problem. He proposed a device to "charge" people for parking spaces. Magee presented his idea to mechanical engineering professor Gerald A. Hale at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College. Hale became so interested in the project that he quit his job to perfect the mechanism and enter a partnership with Magee. In December 1932, Magee applied for a patent on the parking meter.
On July 16, 1935, the citizens of Oklahoma City found meters installed on one side of the street. Spaces on the free side of the block quickly filled up as usual. Spaces with meters were still available when stores opened but they too filled up. Unlike the unmetered side, however, these spaces had a constant turnover. After three days, merchants on the free side of the street petitioned city council for meters. Other cities were not so open to the idea of paying for parking spaces. In Mobile, Alabama, and Carthage, Texas, vigilante committees tried to destroy the parking meters.
Following World War II, the number of automobiles increased and so did the demand for parking meters. These machines now help solve traffic and parking problems in major cities throughout the world. Convenient parking is now available for handicapped citizens, to allow them easier access to facilities. While most of these meters still resemble Magee's original design, newer electronic models are also available.