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, United States (USA) (American Colonies)
1968 - The ATM is invented (Don Wetzel, United States)

In 1968, the automated teller machine, or ATM, was invented in the United States by Donald Wetzel, a department head at Docutel, a subsidiary of Recognition Equipment Inc. based in Dallas, Texas. Originally, Docutel had been developing optical scanning technology for various applications, including automated baggage handling and gas pumps, but Wetzel saw an opportunity to apply automation to banking, envisioning a machine that could dispense cash efficiently and reliably outside of normal banking hours.

The first practical installation of an ATM came on September 2, 1969, when Chemical Bank placed the machine at its Rockville Centre, New York branch. Early ATMs were simple by modern standards: they dispensed a fixed amount of cash when a user inserted a specially coded card, relying on mechanical and electrical systems to verify and release the funds. Despite the simplicity, these machines represented a revolutionary change in banking, reducing reliance on tellers for routine transactions and introducing a new form of customer convenience.

Wetzel’s invention set the stage for the global proliferation of automated banking technology. Over the following decades, ATMs evolved to allow withdrawals of variable amounts, deposits, transfers, and account inquiries, transforming how people accessed money and reshaping the financial landscape. The ATM stands as an early example of how automation could streamline daily life, merging convenience, security, and technology in a way that continues to influence the modern world.



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