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You are here: Home / World / Which Came First, the Traffic Light or the Automobile?

Which Came First, the Traffic Light or the Automobile?

June 12, 2020 by Karen Hill

In 1868, long before the automobile became a common sight on city streets, the world’s first traffic light was installed in London.

The light placed near the British Houses of Parliament to help pedestrians cross a busy street without the danger of being run over by a horse drawn vehicle. It consisted of a swinging arm that controlled traffic by day and red and green lights that controlled traffic at night.

A few years after it was installed, the world’s first traffic light blew up, killing a nearby policeman!

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Filed Under: World

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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