National Odometer Day – May 12, 2022
History of National Odometer Day
Traditionally a purely mechanical device, versions of the odometer appeared across history. Ancient Greece used specialists trained to measure footsteps and ancient Romans had their own versions of the odometers. Independent of these developments, odometers were also invented in the Han dynasty, in the form of a road carriage with a drum. As the story goes, each time the measurement of distance was met, a wooden figure would hit the drum. Experts consider this to be a highly advanced version of the odometer (considering the time) and cite this as the influence on the present odometer.
Multiple stories include the predecessor to the modern odometer as one developed for wagons and other horse-drawn vehicles to measure the distance they traveled. A special invention by a Mormon pioneer set the course for odometer development. William Clayton attached his device, a ‘roadometer,’ to his wagon that was heading west to Utah. This was followed by the invention of brothers Arthur and Charles Warner of the first odometer for an automobile, called the ‘auto-meter.’ The brothers went on to patent other items like the tachometer, a paper-making machine, an electric brake, and a power clutch. They also developed a thermometer for the motor but lost the patent to a lawsuit.
While technology has evolved over the ages, the odometer continues to record our distances traveled — only, it is now electronic.
(photo credit: National Today)
