all 26 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 85 points 6 months ago (5 children)

The earliest known reference to a vending machine is in the work of Hero of Alexandria, an engineer and mathematician in first-century Roman Egypt. His machine accepted a coin and then dispensed wine2 or holy water.3 When the coin was deposited, it fell upon a pan attached to a lever. The lever opened a valve which let some wine flow out. The pan continued to tilt with the weight of the coin until it fell off, at which point a counterweight snapped the lever up and turned off the valve.

Neat

  • source
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 36 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    Shit we had wine2 back then and yet I'm still drinking wine1?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 51 points 6 months ago (9 children)

    That's pretty fucking incredible

  • source
  • hideshow 9 child comments
  • [–] 20 points 6 months ago (8 children)

    Greeks created programmable robots, powered by string.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 8 child comments
  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (7 children)

    They beat Ada Lovelace? Citation needed.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 7 child comments
  • [–] 18 points 6 months ago* (5 children)

    Its the same inventor as this machine, referred to as the Hero of Alexandria. Largely they were complex theater puppets.

    Coincidentally I ran into it reading up on automata in mythology today.

    I'll add my favorite bit of ancient technology here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 9 points 6 months ago (3 children)
  • [–] 13 points 6 months ago (5 children)

    I wonder how much it would cost in modern cash

  • source
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 29 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    Still 1 coin, since it operated on the weight of whatever you put in.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    So one penny is probably the best deal.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 8 points 6 months ago

    You had me at wine vending nachine

  • source
  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago

    RIP Necco Wafers, you were better than like half the stuff in that photo.

  • source
  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago*

    wine... holy water. wine... holy water.

    Shit, I only have one coin! I guess the blessing will have to wait.

    (I love it when people learn this)

    edit: and I think it's so cool that the weight of the coin determined how long the valve stayed open. Real money and all that.

  • source
  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago

    With inflation 5 cents 2000 years ago is worth $1 billion

  • source