World’s first electric traffic signal turns 101

On August 5, 1914, the American Traffic Signal Company installed what is widely acknowledged as the world’s first electric traffic signal on the corner of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States of America.  Today marks the 101st anniversary of this signal.

The electric traffic lights, which are now installed and are in operation across the globe, have made driving on public roads easier for motorists and traffic policemen. In the earlier days, to regulate the flow of traffic, police officers had to stand at intersections, directing motorcars and horse-drawn wagons.

A few reports suggest that the first traffic lights were installed in London in 1868. But these were gas-operated and a few accidental explosions rendered them potentially ineffective and dangerous. In 1912, Lester Wire of Utah came up with a better idea of a wooden box with colored red and green lights mounted on a pole. They were attached to the overhead electricity wires that powered them.  However, the electric traffic signal installed on August 5, 1914 is widely regarded to be the world’s first.

Today, Google is celebrating the anniversary through an animated doodle that shows cars from that era, coming to a stop as the traffic light turns red and speeding away when it turns green — the yellow light wasn't introduced until later.