A vending machine is a sight that we're all used to seeing gracing the corridors of offices, hotels and gyms. While the idea of an automated goods dispenser seems like a highly modern idea, the origin of the worlds first vending machine is quite a lot older, Ancient Greek older to be exact. We owe the invention of the vending machine to Hero of Alexandria, a greek mathematician and engineer living in the first century AD. While the vending machines used today dispense all manner of items from fizzy drinks to live crabs, Hero's machine was designed with the slightly more divine intention of dispensing holy water. When a coin was inserted into the machine, it would trigger a lever to temporarily open a valve and allow some holy water to pass through.
Recent History graduate living in Newcastle. I like to travel and experience new things, my favourite place on earth has got to be the Great Barrier Reef. To date my greatest achievements include completing the National Pokedex and mastering how to make cheesy nachos.