"Life is like a cash register, in that every thought, every deed, like every sale, is... recorded."
Fulton J. Sheen, archbishop
Before the cash register came into-being, short of sitting and watching every transaction taking place, there was no way for the boss or manager of a shop or other establishment to check exactly how much money was being taken over the counter each day. Sick of his light-fingered staff pilfering the takings from his saloon in Dayton, Ohio, proprietor James Ritty (1836-1918) decided that he would design a system to put a stop to employee embezzlement.
The inspiration for the machine came to Ritty after he traveled by ship to Europe. While on board he became fascinated by a contraption that kept a record of how many rotations the ship's propeller had made. With this as inspiration, Ritty set to Work on the prototype for the first cash register.
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