09 December - The first traffic lights were installed in 1868

 

The first traffic lights were installed near the Houses of Parliament in London, at the junction of Great George Street and Bridge Street, on 09 December 1868. They were not electric lights, as we commonly have today, but rather gas-lit signals. The system was developed by railway signaling engineer J.P. Knight and operated manually by a police officer.

These early traffic lights were designed to control the flow of horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians. The gas lights had only two colors: red and green, similar to modern traffic lights. The first electric traffic lights were installed in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, in 1914.