Sir John Shepherd-Barron, OBE, Inventor of the ATM machine. 1925-2010

A man who changed the world, has passed away.

Via The Hindu Times

London: India-born Scot John Shepherd-Barron, inventor of the Automated Teller Machine (ATM), has died after a short illness, aged 84.

He is survived by his wife, three sons and six grandchildren.

The businessman, who worked for a printing firm at the time, came up with the concept of a self-service cash dispenser in 1965 while lying in the bath after getting to his bank too late to withdraw money.

“It struck me that there must be a way I could get my own money, anywhere in the world or the United Kingdom. I hit upon the idea of a chocolate bar dispenser, but replacing chocolate with cash,” he had said in a 2007 interview.

The first ATM was installed at a London bank in 1967.

Reg Varney, a star from the popular television show On the Buses, became the first person to withdraw cash.

The first ATM was operated by inserting a special cheque that was matched against a Personal Identification Number.

In his memory, go and take some money from an ATM.

Images - AP, UPI