Did you know that the world's first electric traffic light, installed on August 5, 1914, in Cleveland, Ohio, was created to bring order to absolute urban chaos where the police were overwhelmed?

At the beginning of the 20th century, the streets of major cities had become death traps due to the chaotic mix of pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages, streetcars, and the first commercial automobiles. To solve this constant danger, engineer James Hoge designed an electric device that was placed at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street, changing the history of transportation forever.

Unlike today's traffic lights, this first signal only had two lights: a red one for stop and a green one for go. The yellow light we use today to warn of caution was not part of its design; instead, the device emitted a loud beep or buzz to alert drivers that the light was about to change, giving them time to brake. Furthermore, the system wasn't entirely autonomous, as it required a human operator inside a nearby booth to manually control the switches according to traffic flow.

Although a gas-powered mechanical arm had been installed in front of the Houses of Parliament in London in 1868, that British experiment ended in tragedy when it exploded weeks later, seriously injuring the policeman operating it. For this reason, the success of Cleveland's electric and safe model, implemented on this day, set the true global standard, laying the technological groundwork for the automotive industry's massive and safe expansion across the globe.

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