Which Came First, the Car or the Traffic Light?
2 Answers
This question shouldn't be that complicated. From the perspective of whether transportation or traffic control signals came first, transportation and vehicles must have existed first, leading to the invention of traffic control mechanisms and tools for convenience. If we're not specifically referring to the modern electric three-color traffic lights but to traffic signals in general, traffic lights actually predate cars. The world's first coal-powered traffic signal was activated in London on December 9, 1868. However, it was originally built and used to prevent horse-drawn carriage congestion. This traffic signal incorporated three-arm semaphore signals and used red and green gas lamps for nighttime operation, with a police officer operating the lever on the lamp post. The first electric-powered traffic light was developed in 1912 by an American police officer, which similarly only used red and green lights. As for the world's first recognized automobile, it is generally defined by the date when Karl Benz, one of the founders of Mercedes-Benz, obtained the world's first patent for an automobile engine, which was January 29, 1886. Therefore, even before cars existed, the earliest form of traffic lights had already been introduced with the original intention of maintaining orderly traffic and avoiding congestion.
I looked up some historical records and found that traffic lights actually predate cars. In 1868, in London, England, to control the chaotic traffic of horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians, they installed a gas-lit traffic light, but it exploded after just a few days of operation—fortunately, no one was hurt. At that time, cars hadn't been invented yet, and people mainly relied on horse-drawn carriages for transportation, with frequent traffic accidents. That's why city officials came up with this solution. It wasn't until 1886 that Karl Benz built the first practical automobile. Later, as cars became more widespread, traffic lights were upgraded to electronic versions, first officially used in the U.S. in 1912. I find this quite interesting—it shows that humans often consider safety issues before inventing new tools, much like urban planning: the rules are ready before the cars even arrive.
