The History of Drink and Snack Vending Machines

When we take a trip to the office soda vending machine, we put our money in, wait for the drink to drop, and leave. We don't put much thought or concern into how this universal, and very nifty, machine came to be. The first vending machines actually date back to ancient times, but there was no candy in them. The vending machine dates back to ancient Greece. A mathematician and engineer named Hero (he was a hero for inventing this), invented a primitive machine to dispense holy water in Egyptian temples in 215 BC.

After that invention, vending machines went on a bit of a hiatus and didn't make a comeback until the 1880s. The first public coin-operated vending machines were available in London and dispensed post cards. Around that same time, a man named Richard Carlisle, who was a book publisher and bookstore owner, invented a vending machine to dispense books. Vending machines didn't make their way to the United States until 1888 and it was at this time we finally saw the first snack vending machine. The Thomas Adams Gum Company built vending machines here in the US to dispense their gum and placed them on subway platforms in New York City.

About a decade later, the Pulvar Manufacturing Company decided to expand upon this idea and added animated figures to their gum vending machines. The figures would move on the machine when you inserted your money. Although you weren't buying anything special, it added a bit of fun and entertainment for the customer. It didn't take long before the idea of the vending machine took off and were popping up all over the country. Other companies began adding different items like cigars, postcards, and stamps In 1926 we saw the first cigarette vending machine. A restaurant loved the idea of a vending machine so much that they made a completely coin-operated restaurant in Philadelphia called Horn & Hardart. The restaurant was in business from 1902 to 1962.

Soda vending machines made their first appearance as early as the 1920s. The first machines didn't dispense bottles or cans though. The soda was dispensed into a cup, much like the coffee vending machines we see today. Bottled soda came about a decade later and soda cans were introduced in the 1960s. Snack vending machines finally made their way into the market in 1972. Everything from bags of chips to candy bars became readily available.

Today the vending machine industry has really boomed. They have come a long way since holy water and gums packets. You can find a snack vending machine in hospitals, offices, schools, and malls. But there is more than just snacks in today's machines. You can find everything from sandwiches to umbrellas to shoes and live bait. They're so convenient and easy to place just about anywhere you wish. If you can think of an item people want, you can probably design a vending machine around it.


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