Believe it or not, the odometer dates all
the way back to Franklin's times, for he was keen enough
to foresee its usefulness in daily life. As postmaster,
Benjamin was assigned the task of mapping mail routes for
the local towns. He went out riding on this carriage to
measure the routes and soon realized how important it was
to keep track of the distances. Consequently, he invented
a simple odometer attached to his carriage. The
instrument was designed to measure distances by counting
the rotations of the axles of the wagon. Interestingly,
the device was calibrated to trigger a bell every twenty
rods (1 rod =25.5 yards).In Long
Island, NY, historians speculate that Franklin used his
odometer to establish mile markers along his postal
route. For those wishing to learn more: http://www.lihistory.com/history/3/hs330a.htm.
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