The Revolution Blog

Wheel of Fortune: The Ancestor of GPS

Wednesday, Feb 24, 2016

Odd and sometimes useful facts that might help you win a non-cash friendly bar bet some day.

Long before satellite-powered Garmin and Google Maps sat on the dashboard, the Iter Avto navigation system rode alongside drivers of the day.

Created in the 1930's, it worked by scrolling a map as you drove along. The device was attached to a cable similar to a speedometer cable so the scroll speed of the paper maps coincided with the speed of the vehicle.

The major problem was that as soon as the driver turned a corner they would have to put a new map in. Well, it was a start!

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