| It was Hero (or Heron) of Alexandria, an ancient Greek | | | | stations of New York City in 1888. The 1920's saw the |
| mathematician, who is credited with inventing the | | | | first cigarette machines, which began to be sited |
| world's first drinks vending machine nearly 2000 years | | | | throughout America, followed by candy machines and |
| ago. Around the time of 50 AD, he came up with the | | | | bottled drinks machines. It was not until after the end of |
| idea of dispensing a measure of Holy water when a | | | | the Second World War however, that drinks machines, |
| coin was placed in a slot on a machine. The idea was | | | | more or less as we know them today - started to |
| simple - the coin dropped on to a pan on a lever and | | | | appear. Some of the first machines in the UK were |
| the weight of the coin moved the lever which opened | | | | made by the Ditchburn Organisation in Lytham St |
| a crude valve and allowed the Holy water to flow, | | | | Annes, Lancashire to sell fresh milk. The Avenco |
| then as the lever continued to move, the coin fell off, | | | | Corporation was among the first American machine |
| the lever moved back and the water flow was shut | | | | manufacturers to introduce coffee vending machines |
| off again - simple! | | | | to the UK, using dried ingredients and mixing them |
| This description of his invention comes from a pair of | | | | inside the machine and dispensing the drink into a |
| ancient books of his called The Pneumatica - | | | | disposable paper cup. |
| regretfully an actual machine has yet to be discovered! | | | | Avencos range of machines were imported in to the |
| This was rather early days for vending machines | | | | UK in the late 1950's, by one of Britain's first vending |
| however, and the world had to wait a bit longer for the | | | | machine companies, the Autobar Group. Since then |
| vending machine to become a commercial success. In | | | | the use of beverage vending machines has continued |
| fact it was not until the late 19th century that the first | | | | to grow annually and has now become the accepted |
| machines vending postcards and books appeared in | | | | form of providing hot and cold drinks in the workplace. |
| London in the early 1880's, with the Adams Gum | | | | Today some £1.5 billion per year goes through the |
| company being generally regarded as having produced | | | | slots of nearly a quarter of a million drinks machines, |
| the first coin operated machines in America. | | | | sited throughout British industry with more than 10 million |
| Their machines sold chewing gum in the subways and | | | | cups of tea and coffee vended each day. |