A speedometer is a gauge that measures and displays the instantaneous speed of a vehicle, and it is now fitted as standard equipment on motor vehicles worldwide. The Croatian electrical engineer Josip Belusic invented the electric speedometer, patenting it in 1888 and presenting it at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris; his design used a pointer driven by a magnet to indicate speed. Speedometers became standard equipment on automobiles around 1910, and the German inventor Otto Schultze later patented an eddy-current version in 1902 that further advanced the technology.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateSource gives only the year 1888 for Belusic's original patent; no month or day is recorded. SignificanceThe speedometer moved from an optional accessory to standard equipment on motor vehicles by around 1910, and it is now fitted worldwide as a universal safety and legal requirement. 1 Connections
In Field
Source Speedometer (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. Speedometer (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationHistory section
The speedometer was originally patented by Josip Belušić (Giuseppe Bellussich) in 1888.
Lead section
Now universally fitted to motor vehicles, they started to be available as options in the early 20th century, and as standard equipment from about 1910 onwards.
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