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James and John Ritty patent the first cash register - November 4th, 1879

This Day in History Class

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The Ritties Cash Register

James Riddy was inspired by a machine that counted rotations of the ship's propeller. He and his brother John set to work designing their own cash register. The first two prototypes were less than inspiring, but this third design proved a winner. It didn't look much like today's cash registers, but it did perform a similar function.

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