On December 16, 1884, 134 years ago today, William Henry Fruen, of Minneapolis, patented his "Automatic Liquid-Drawing Device." Designed to look like a building, Fruen's device dispensed mineral water ...
One of the first vending machines most of us ever encountered involved a penny, a knob, and a colorful piece of gum. At one time, gumball machines could be found almost everywhere, from grocery stores ...