Today, rear-view mirrors are a very standard part of the package of every car. However, this wasn’t the case back in the early 1900s. Manufacturers only started adding it to their cars in the early 1930s! Can you even imagine driving without mirrors? Today, let’s take a look at the history of rear-view mirrors in modern cars; it’s a pretty interesting story!
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How did Rear-View Mirrors come into the picture?
Well, rear-view mirrors came in to help drivers go faster. That’s right; speed was the very purpose of installing this mirror in a car! Back in 1911, racer Ray Harroun was the first person who got this idea of having a rear-view mirror. He saw something similar in a horse cart and figured that this will be really helpful in high-speed driving. Until now, he used to have a co-driver with him who would tell him if it was safe to change lanes. With this mirror, he not only took control himself, but he also took off a hundred and sixty pounds from his car!
Also Read- History of the Glove Box!
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When did it become official?
In 1921, Elmer Berger went ahead and patented the first rear-view mirror in the industry. He named the device “COP SPOTTER” as he primarily used it for looking out for cops tailing his car! Crazy how this very idea translated into being a MAJOR contribution to the automotive industry, right?
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Related- History of LED DRLs in cars!
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Modern Day Rear View Mirrors
The industry has come a long way since then, and now we have all sorts of gizmos for better rear visibility. The IRVMs themselves house cameras and sensor displays and whatnot!
It’s really amusing to see how the Rear-View Mirror actually came into the world. Who knew that something that someone used for spotting cops would actually come into use all over the world! What do you think about this interesting story behind the history of rear-view mirrors? Tell us in the comments section below!
You’ll find this interesting too- History of Powered Windows in Cars!
